The Beginning, is the End, is the Beginning
by Viginti Duo
Summary: Sequel to LCA. Seifer gets drawn into a web of conspiracy and deceit. Going into hiding seems to be the only way out. Can Quistis and his friends help him clear his name? Seiftis. This story has been abandoned.
1. Prelude

**A/N: I do not own the song following, nor the band. Lemme just say that not **all** lyrics connect well to my story, but **some** lyrics do and plus I loved the title.**

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                                                **_~*The Beginning, is the End, is the Beginning*~_**

                                                               A sequel to _'Love Conquers All'_

                                                               By: Sickness in Salvation

**                                                                         Prelude**

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_                                                                  Send a heartbeat to _

_                                                        The void that cries through you _

_                                                Relive the pictures that have come to pass _

_                                                              For now we stand alone _

_                                                            The world is lost and blown _

_                                                  And we are flesh and blood disintegrate _

_                                                                With no more to hate_

_                                                            Is it bright where you are? _

_                                                               Now the people change _

_                                                Does it make you happy you're so strange? _

_                                                             And in your darkest hour _

_                                                                  I hold secrets flame _

_                                                We can watch the world devoured in its pain_

_                                                              Delivered from the blast _

_                                                              The last of a line of lasts _

_                                                    The pale princess of a palace cracked _

_                                                            And now the kingdom comes _

_                                                               Crashing down undone _

_                                                   And I am a master of a nothing place _

_                                                                  Of recoil and grace_

_                                                            Is it bright where you are? _

_                                                               Now the people change _

_                                                Does it make you happy you're so strange? _

_                                                             And in your darkest hour _

_                                                                  I hold secrets flame _

_                                                We can watch the world devoured in its pain_

_                                                            Time has stopped before us _

_                                                              The sky cannot ignore us _

_                                                               No one can separate us _

_                                                              For we are all that is left _

_                                                             The echo bounces off me _

_                                                            The shadow lost beside me _

_                                                        There's no more need to pretend _

_                                                            Cause now I can begin again_

_                                                             Is it bright where you are? _

_                                                               Now the people change _

_                                                Does it make you happy you're so strange? _

_                                                              And in your darkest hour _

_                                                                  I hold secrets flame _

_                                                We can watch the world devoured in its pain _

_                                                                            Strange _

_                                                                            Strange _

_                                                                           Strange_

**_- -The Beginning, is the End, is the Beginning_**

**_The Smashing Pumpkins_**

****


	2. Prologue

Hey everyone!

            How's it going? Happy New Year to all of you and I hope you had a **really** merry Christmas! 

            As promised, it's time to post the sequel to _'Love Conquers All'_. Those of you who have read that story, already know a bit of what's about to come. Now for the rest of you… _'Love Conquers All' _(LCA)was a Seiftis Romance/Humor story. It was nothing too heavy, just a light story of how Quistis and Seifer got together after his return to Garden. I used the classic Quistis-tutors-Seifer-to-regain-her-license cliché, but I hope I gave it some twists to spice it up a bit. You don't really need to go back and read that story to understand this one. There wasn't much of a plot anyway ^_^ The only things you might not get, will be some possible references to the events on the prequel, although there is a part which had hints for the content of this story. Either way, if you want to have a hint on the basic plot of LCA, go find its link and read the Foreword which includes the summary.

            Before I forget it, I'd like to introduce everyone to my muse, Salaam Dementia. She got pissed at me in my previous story for introducing her way down the story…

            Now, where were we? Oh yes… This story, as you probably have read, is entitled **_'The Beginning, is the End, is the Beginning'_**. I don't claim it to be mine, as it comes from the title of a song by **_Smashing Pumpkins_**. The title fitted to my story, some of the lyrics did as well, so I gratuitously 'stole' it. BTW, you might notice **many **rock music and movie references within the story, as I happen to be a great fan of both. The appropriate disclaimers will –of course- always be up… 

            I hope you guys will enjoy this story and if you do, please don't forget to review! Negative reviews are welcome as well, just as long as you're telling me what you don't like, so that I can improve. I'll just ignore flames. On a last note, I'd **really** like to thank Chris, my beta, who sacrificed his precious time in order to actually sit down and read my puny little story… You're the man Chris!

            And of course:

**DISCLAIMER FOR THE WHOLE ****STORY****: **I do **not** own the game, **nor** the characters (except for my original ones), **nor** the original plot. The only thing I DO own, is this measly new plot and a PC to type all this crap upon…

**_                                                                                                                         Peace out… ;-p_**

**_                                                                                                                           ~*_****_Crystal_****_*~_**

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**A/N:** The Prologue… Small, but the 1st chappy will be up soon. Normal updates will be about 4 days apart each. Enjoy!

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                                                                                    **_~*The Beginning, is the End, is the Beginning*~_**

                                                                                                    A sequel to _'Love Conquers All'_

                                                                                                         By: Sickness in Salvation

**                                                                                                                     Prologue**

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            A tall, red-haired woman walked down the Hall of Balamb Garden. She was wearing a pair of dark blue jeans and a black turtleneck sweater. Many students smiled at her warmly and waved at her as she passed by. She plainly nodded and smiled back at all of them. Quistis Trepe was a famous one in Balamb Garden. Probably the only Instructor to ever have a fan club, the notorious Trepies… Except maybe for Irvine Kinneas who seemed to be growing quite the fan base as well lately. Quistis continued to walk from the Dormitories towards the Cafeteria, in her usual serious, withheld, but very womanly walk. She looked around the Christmas decorations that had been put up around the Hall. Christmas had already passed, but there were still two days left until New Year's Eve. The Garden Festival Committee, head of which was none other than Selphie Tilmitt, one of her closest friends, had a great party in store for that occasion. Ever since Selphie had been put in charge of that position, each and every party in Garden was more than a success. She was by far the right person for the right job...     

            Quistis finally reached the Cafeteria corridor and walked through it. She stepped inside, looking around for her friends. She spotted them sitting in their usual table and walked towards them. On the table, six people were sitting. Zell Dincht, the hyper martial artist, Shizuka Ross, Zell's girlfriend and one of the library staff people, Selphie Tilmitt, the even more hyper aforementioned girl, Irvine Kinneas, the cowboy who stole the latter's heart and Rinoa Heartilly, the only living sorceress of their times. The last person sitting there, was a tall, blond, charming man; Seifer Almasy. At the sight of him, Quistis' heart fluttered and a broad smile appeared across her face. She finally reached her friends and spoke.

- _"Sorry I'm late everyone… I had tons of tests to correct with the holiday and all…" _she said sitting down, next to Seifer.

- _"Missed ya kitten…" _said Seifer, leaning in and giving a peck to his girlfriend.

- _"When are you leaving?" _asked Quistis with a small frown across her face.

- _"In five minutes. The aircrafts are already waiting outside." _replied Seifer.

- _"Where's Squall?" _asked Quistis.

- _"Need you ask?"_ said Rinoa sarcastically _"Buried under a pile of paperwork…"_

- _"I see…" _said Quistis _"How's the New Year's party coming along?" _she asked Selphie.

- _"It's going to be simply amazing! Just wait and you'll see!" _said Selphie excitedly.

- _"You **will** be able to make it, right?" _Quistis asked Seifer.

- _"I hope so…" _replied the blond gunblade specialist _"I don't think that I'll need more than two days…" _he said _"Anyway…" _he added getting up _"Gotta go."_

            Quistis got up as well and gave him a big hug. Seifer held her neck with one hand and brushed his lips upon hers softly at first. Quistis held him from the back of his hair and pressed her lips on his harder. They would have probably stopped after a **long** time, if Zell hadn't yelled at them to go 'Get a room'. The couple broke apart and Seifer, giving Zell an angry glare, picked up his suitcase from the floor. 

- _"Be careful baby." _said Quistis smiling at her lover as he gave her one last peck and walked out of the Cafeteria.

            Quistis sat back down to the table, looking gloomy.

- _"Ahh… __C'est__ l'amour…"_ said Irvine mockingly. Quistis just stuck her tongue out at him playfully and smiled.

- _"Where is he going anyway?" _asked Rinoa.

- _"Deling City. Some business over at a ministry. I didn't ask him any details…"_ replied Quistis shrugging.

- _"So…" _began Selphie eyeing everyone _"…we still need some help around the Ballroom for the party, and I thought…"_

- _"No can do! Busy at the library!" _exclaimed Shizuka before Selphie could even finish.

- _"Yeah and I'm helping her out!" _added Zell quickly, putting his arm around her shoulder. Selphie raised an eyebrow. Her glance turned over at Quistis.

- _"Just told you. Tests and tests everywhere…" _said Quistis. Selphie turned to look over at Rinoa.

- _"Infirmary!" _said the raven haired sorceress, almost choking on her coffee by the look Selphie shot her.

- _"Irvy?" _said Selphie looking at her boyfriend, crossing her arms. Irvine scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

- _"Umm… I've got… tests… to… correct…?" _he said hesitantly. Selphie shook her head in an I'm-not-buying-it manner _"*Sigh* Fine…"_

- _"That's my __Irvy__Kinne-poo__!" _said Selphie cheerfully, blowing him a kiss.

- _"Ahh… __C'est__ l'amour…" _repeated Quistis mockingly. This time, it was Irvine's turn to stick out his tongue at her…

                                                                                    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Seifer was walking down the hallway towards the entrance of Garden, when his cell-phone rang. He dug his hand into his right coat pocket and retrieved the phone, answering the call.

- _"Yes?" _he spoke.

- _"Seifer? It's Edea." _replied the woman on the other end of the line.

- _"Oh, hi Matron. Where are you?" _asked the tall blond.

- _"I'm still at Centra. I'll be coming over for New Year's tomorrow." _she said.

- _"Damn… Sorry I had you running back to Centra during the holiday…" _Seifer apologized.

- _"Don't be ridiculous child… Either way, I found them!" _she said cheerfully.

- _"You **did**?!"_ exclaimed Seifer excitedly.

- _"I told you I would…" _said Edea _"Their graves are here, like we expected they would be."_

- _"Oh, Matron… I can't thank you enough…" _said Seifer, feeling touched.

- _"We'll talk about it when I get back in Balamb, alright? I'll bring their files over to you." _

- _"I was thinking maybe I could catch a flight over to Centra after my mission and pay them a quick visit…" _suggested Seifer.

- _"If you do, you'll never be able to make it in time for New Year's and Quisty will have your head…" _said Edea, laughing slightly.

- _"Heh… I guess you're right…" _said Seifer, grinning.

- _"I promise we'll visit them together as soon as possible Seifer. I can understand your eagerness, but just be a little patient my son."_

- _"OK Matron… I'll see you at New Year's. Goodbye and once again, thank you." _said Seifer.

- _"Goodbye Seifer." _said Edea, hanging up.

            The blond SeeD put his cell-phone back in his pocket. A broad smile spread across his face. He'd found them…

                                                                                    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*__

            Quistis was lying on the big double bed of her and Seifer's dorm. The time was already past midnight, but Quistis was still up. She was dressed in her long white nightgown and was slowly sipping some gin. The big room seemed so empty when she was the only one filling it. The couple's dorm consisted of a big main room one came across as soon as entering the dorm and a bathroom. The main room had the double bed on the upper left corner, right next to the window. A small nightstand with drawers stood next to the outer (right) side of the bed. Right across the bed, on the down left corner stood a big wardrobe for the two of them. On the right wall, a big desk was located, with two laptops (one for each of the two) resting on top of it, as well as a coffee machine and a couple of chairs for them to sit on. On the wall, hung a few cupboards and cabinets for storage and a small portable fridge lay on a single self right next to the cupboards. A big blue armchair lay over by the desk on the right side. The bathroom door was located on the upper right corner of the main room. Inside, the bathroom had a set of counters covering the right side, with a pair of sinks and a few cabinets. On the left side of the bathroom, there was a big shower with a door and finally, a toilet seat was located on the down left corner of the room.

            As Quistis studied the interior of the dorm, she felt lonely. She missed Seifer very much and he was only gone for a few hours. It was tough for them now that he was a top-ranked SeeD. The missions were harder, more demanding and took away a lot of their precious time together. Quistis only hoped that Seifer would consider trying to get a job like Squall's which involved more office work **_'I'm just being selfish here…' _**she thought **_'Seifer loves going out to missions. Besides, he's damn good at it…' _**She sighed and took another sip from her almost empty glass. Her mind trailed off to her blond significant other. She wondered what he was doing right now… He hadn't even called all day. Not that she was really worried about him, but he always called… And she couldn't try to reach him; he could be already working on his mission. She sighed once again, more deeply, and finished the remainder of her drink, resting the now empty glass on the nightstand.****She glanced at her watch and saw it was drawing close to 12:30. She decided it was time to get some sleep, so she turned off the light on the nightstand and covered herself underneath the sleek black covers.

            Just when she was about to surrender her mind to Morpheus, her cell-phone rang. Grunting and internally cursing anyone who had the ingenious idea of calling her at this time, she picked up the small black Nokia from the nightstand. Mechanically, she checked the number that appeared on the small colored screen. Her blue eyes grew wide with joy as she saw the name 'My Bunny Rabbit' appearing on the screen. She quickly pressed the small green phone button and answered the call.

- _"Hey!" _she exclaimed _"I was getting worried about you! Why didn't you call earlier?"_

- _"Sorry kitten…" _said Seifer _"My cell battery was dead. I just got to recharge it and thought I'd call you. Did I wake you up?"_

- _"Actually I just got ready to sleep." _she replied _"*Sigh* I wish I could have you here next to me…"_

- _"Me too babe… But it's only two days…"_ said Seifer gloomily.

- _"Yeah… We've had worse…" _she replied.

- _"Anyway, I'd better get some sleep. I've got a full day ahead of me tomorrow… Good night kitten…" _said Seifer.

- _"Good night bunny. I love you…" _said Quistis,

- _"Love you too…" _replied Seifer and sent her a kiss, terminating the call.

            Quistis put the phone back in place on the nightstand and tucked herself under the covers again. She closed her eyes and smiled lightly, as the image of Seifer stayed in her mind until she fell asleep…

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_ON THE NEXT CHAPTER OF 'THE BEGINNING, IS THE END, IS THE BEGINNING':_

__

_Seifer's mission…_


	3. Chapter 1: Long time no see

**A/N: **Oh yippee! 13 reviews by a mere Prologue?! I'm touched… ;_;  *sniff* Thank you all! Alrighty then, better leave the introductory stuff behind and get on with some actual events, shall we?

And boy, do I have a surprise for **you**! Guess who the title of the chapter refers to? No really, guess! Heh, heh… ^_^ Just keep in mind that it's only a cameo…

BTW, something I forgot to say: The dialogue is in plain italics, the thoughts are in bold italics and the plain text is… well, plain text! Bold words indicate intensity in speech, while capitals stand for words being shouted (or intensity in thoughts, 'cause I can't get them any bolder!). Hope you didn't get confused before…

I've got the habit of responding to my reviewers, but only if I actually have something to say. So if I don't respond to some of you, I'm not ignoring you, I just got nothing to say…

**_Last chapter summary:_**_ It's almost New Year's__ and Seifer has to attend a mission in Deling, promising Quis to be back for the celebration party._

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                                                                                    **_~*The Beginning, is the End, is the Beginning*~_**

                                                                                                    A sequel to _'Love Conquers All'_

                                                                                                         By: Sickness in Salvation

**                                                                                                 Chapter 1: Long time no see…**

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            Seifer woke up by the sound of the phone ringing next to the nightstand. He squirmed around, covering his head with the pillow. The ringing sound was piercing through his eardrums even after his self-constructed insulation though. Grumpily, he pulled the pillow off his head and searched blindly on the nightstand, until he felt the receiver of the phone under his palm. He picked it up and brought it next to his ear.

- _"What?" _he said sleepily.

****

****

            Instead of a voice, a light **_'Innerving…'_** he thought, sound came through the receiver. Seifer slammed the phone shut, rubbing his eyes open with his balled fists **_'Fucking hotel wake-up calls…' _**he thought, yawning deeply. With difficulty, he sat up on the bed using his arms to stand. He had hardly gotten any sleep last night. The hotel room he stayed in, was definitely not worth of the money he -or the Garden, better- had paid. The bed was too squeaky, the blanket made him itch and the window saw right outside an apparently very busy street. And to top it all, the walls obviously weren't thick enough to prevent 'unwanted' sounds… **_'Damn bitch…' _**thought Seifer rubbing the back of his hair **_'I could hear her moaning and screaming all night…'_** The bed squeaks and wall bangings didn't make the sound any more sufferable; they just added up to the 'horrific porn concert' as Seifer had distinctly described it in his mind. Yawning deeply once more, he decided to get up. ****

            Lazily, he flung the covers off his body. A shiver ran under his skin, as the room was too cold for one to be roaming around in only a pair of sweatpants. He looked around for the remote control to the air condition in the room. He switched it on, hoping that the -from the looks of it- obsolete contraption wouldn't explode and turned the temperature up. He stretched a bit and walked over to the bathroom. He turned the tap on and cupped water in his hands, throwing it on his face. He reached for a towel hanging right next him and wiped his face, taking a look in the mirror. He held his chin with his thumb and index finger and examined his face **_'No need to shave…' _**he thought and reached for a small bag on the counter. He took out his toothbrush and toothpaste and began brushing his teeth **_'Hmmm… I need to be over at the ministry in…' _**he thought, checking his watch **_'…two hours.' _**He spat out the toothpaste and rested his hands upon the sides of the sink, staying still for a second **_'Oh shit…' _**he thought, slapping his forehead with his hand **_'How could I miss that? The ministry of DEFENSE. And the minister is…' _**He shuddered **_'…_****_Wallace_****_…'_** He mentally swore at himself for forgetting exactly who he'd be working for… **again**. 

            Suddenly, a rivulet of liquid water and toothpaste came trickling down his forehead. Realizing he hadn't washed up before, he grunted and, adopting a disgusted expression, washed his hand and forehead. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed **_'Fuck… I thought I wouldn't have to see that moron again in my life…' _**he thought **_'Oh well… Can't get away from it now…' _**He tilted his neck in both directions, feeling a small cracking sensation and began undressing. He flung his sweatpants and boxers onto the toilet seat right next to the shower stall and stepped in. He turned the knobs and felt a spray of ice cold water sting his skin at first. He swore for the already dreadful day he'd been having and turned the knob to 'Hot'. He tried to calm a bit, letting the warm water relax his tensed up muscles.

            After the revitalizing shower, Seifer walked back into the room with a towel wrapped around his waist and another one with which he rubbed his hair dry. Surprisingly, the room was much warmer now **_'At least ONE thing's going well in my day so far…' _**he thought. He walked over on the messy bed, not bothering to make it and picked up the black cell-phone on the nightstand. He checked the clock on the screen and saw it read 8:47 **_'Quisty should be up by now…' _**He mechanically pressed the buttons for Quistis' number and placed the small phone on his ear. 

- _"The subscriber you have called will be informed of his or her calls…" _began a voice through the phone.

            Seifer terminated the call at the sound of that message **_'Still sleeping…' _**he thought, feeling a bit jealous **_'And I get to work through holiday… damn fucking great…' _**he swore, feeling annoyed that **she** was sleeping, annoyed that **he** had to spend the rest of the mission with Wallace, annoyed that **she** couldn't be with him right now… ****He sighed deeply and walked over to his suitcase on the sofa, to pick out the clothes he would wear. He scoffed **_'As if I have a grand choice…' _**He pulled out his black pants, his white sleeveless T-shirt with the red Fire Cross in front and of course, his -now black- long trench coat. He flung his towel off and began wearing his clothes. When fully dressed in his battle gear, he walked over into the bathroom and squeezed some gel off the tube and on his palm. He tactfully ran it through his blond locks, spiking them up. He washed his hands and took a last look on the mirror, turning his head around in different angles. He let out a smirk, pleased with the sight **_'Damn… It almost hurts to be so hot…' _**he thought, laughing, as a flash, of what Quistis' expression would be like if she heard that, came in mind. He walked back inside the room, grabbing his impressive Hyperion gunblade form the case which lay half open next to the suitcase. He dug his hand in his coat pocket retrieving a pair of black shades, put them on and went on his way. 

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            Seifer was pacing back and forth the pavement in front of the hotel entrance. He had called the ministry and a car was supposed to come pick him up. Twenty minutes had passed, but still no sign of the car. He leaned back on the wall, crossing his arms, tapping his foot on the ground impatiently. After about three minutes, a black sleek car appeared. It stopped right in front of Seifer and the window mechanically slid down. A man dressed in a black suit, white shirt, a tie and black shades leaned over and spoke to Seifer.

- _"Are you __Seifer__Almasy__?" _he asked.

- _"No, you're speaking to his evil clone right now…" _said Seifer sarcastically, never leaving his position.

- _"I don't have time for this kid…" _said the driver sighing _"Are you that Almasy fellow or not?"_ he asked impatiently.

- _"I am, if you're the lazy-ass driver who was supposed to pick me up more than a quarter ago…" _said Seifer walking over to the back seat doors.

            The man shook his head in disbelief as Seifer stepped inside the fancy car. When he was seated, the man turned back to face him. He lowered his shades and spoke.

- _"I need to see some credentials first kid…" _he said. Seifer raised an eyebrow and dug his hand in his pocket.

- _"Here…" _he said handing him his SeeD ID _"…and if you call me a kid one more time, I'll break your neck…" _he added smirking.

- _"Bad day 'tough guy'?" _asked the driver sarcastically, handing Seifer back his ID.

- _"Just drive the damn car…" _replied the blond man, turning his head to the window outside.

            Letting out a scoff, the man turned back in front **_'Damn smart-ass SeeD punk…' _**he thought. He turned the key in the ignition and drove off towards the ministry of Defense.  

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            The black car stopped in front of the stone steps of an impressive building. Seifer opened the door and stepped out of the car. He lowered his shades and looked at the Ministry of Defense, standing right in front of him. Large white marble columns decorated the entrance of the building, while the pediment presented carved designs of the old city of Deling, the way it was many decades ago **_'Very 'antique'…' _**thought Seifer raising an eyebrow, resting his shades on his forehead, while entering the Ministry, closely followed by the man who had driven him there.

            Inside, the Ministry was decorated in a quite tasteful and elegant manner. Seifer noticed the driver approaching the reception desk where a young woman was seated and followed suit. The man rested his arms on the desk and lowered his shades, eyeing the girl behind the desk. The pretty blue-eyed brunette raised an eyebrow and held her chin, shooting the man an impatient look.

- _"How can I help you Zidane?" _asked the girl.

- _"And a good morning to you too beautiful…" _said Zidane, the driver, sarcastically.

- _"Whatever…" _said the girl sighing _"What can I do for you?"_

- _"You mean besides accept an invitation over to my place?" _Zidane asked arching his eyebrow playfully. The girl glared at him _"Just kiddin' sunshine…" _said Zidane chuckling _"I've brought this guy over here…" _he said, motioning towards Seifer next to him _"…for his meeting with Wallace."_

            The girl turned over and noticed Seifer for the first time. He was standing right next to Zidane, with arms crossed. The desk clerk smiled broadly at Seifer, who forced back a grin. The girl was very cute alright, but he didn't have the time or the mood for pointless flirting. 

- _"Hello, I'm Terra…" _said the girl, offering Seifer her most charming smile. Zidane raised an eyebrow at that.

- _"__Seifer__Almasy.__"_ replied Seifer, shaking Terra's now extended arm.

- _"You have an appointment with __Mr.__Wallace__?" _asked Terra. 

- _"Yes. Tell him it's the SeeD he has requested for a certain mission." _said Seifer.

- _"Hold on a sec please…" _said Terra dialing a number on the phone right next to her _"__Jeri__? Connect me to __Mr.__Wallace__'s office. *Pause* Hello, Mr. __Wallace__? There's a __Seifer__Almasy__ here to see you. He says he's the SeeD you've requested for a mission… Uh-huh… Yes, I'll tell him… Alright…" _Terra hung up and turned back to Seifer _"He says he'll send someone to show you up right away. Wait here for a couple of minutes please."_

- _"OK…" _said Seifer putting his hands in his pockets.

- _"So…" _began Terra, trying to make small talk _"You're a SeeD?"_

- _"Yep." _replied Seifer.

- _"Which Garden are you from?" _she asked.

- _"__Balamb__Garden.__" _the blond answered.

- _"Is it nice in Balamb?"_

- _"Yeah, I guess…" _said Seifer shrugging, checking his watch.

- _"Not much of a talker, are you?" _asked Terra grinning.

- _"Nah, just bored…" _replied Seifer taking out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.

- _"I'm sorry, but smoking is not allowed in here." _Terra informed him.

- _"Why not?" _asked Seifer raising an eyebrow.

- _"Because." _said Zidane, butting in. He'd been annoyed by all the attention Terra was paying Seifer so far.

- _"Easy there driver-boy…" _said Seifer mockingly, putting his cigarettes back inside.

            Zidane shot him a poisonous look. Seifer turned over to the elevator where a man in a suit came out.

- _"Your escort's here…" _said Terra.

- _"Right. See ya…" _said Seifer nodding at her walking over to the man by the elevator.

- _"Brainless git…" _mumbled Zidane once Seifer was gone.

- _"I thought he seemed nice." _said Terra shrugging.

- _"Smitten by pretty-boy, are we?" _asked Zidane scoffing.

Terra sighed and went back to her work, shaking her head in disbelief.  

                                                                                    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Seifer stood with his back leaning on the elevator wall. The booth reached the third floor and the man walked outside, followed by Seifer. The pair walked down the corridor until the man stopped outside a door. A label on it read 'Minister of Defense'. The guy in the suit knocked gently and after hearing a muffled 'Come in' from inside, he opened the door.

            Lucius Wallace stood behind his desk in his luxurious office, signing some paper work. At the sound of the door opening he raised his head and saw the man who'd brought Seifer over, waiting next to the door which stood ajar.

- _"__Mr.__Almasy__ is here for you sir." _said the man.

- _"Let him in Davis." _replied Wallace.

            Davis made way for Seifer to come in, then left, closing the door behind him. Seifer walked inside Wallace's office, with a smug expression on his face. He looked around the office, walking casually over to the desk. Lucius Wallace was just like he remembered him; tall **_'Gangling…' _**Seifer thought, in his mid-thirties **_'…old fucking lecher…',_** with gelled **_'…slimy…'_** black hair a bit grayish in the temples.****Wallace took off his reading glasses and rubbed his right temple with two fingers.

- _"So…" _said Wallace breaking the silence _"…__Cid__ decided to send **you.**" _he added, crossing his fingers on the desk.

- _"Not pleased to see me again?" _asked Seifer sarcastically, slouching himself on one of the armchairs in front of Wallace's desk.

- _"Yes, you **may **sit…" _he said sarcastically.

- _"I know." _said Seifer grinning. He took out his cigarettes and lit one, throwing his lighter onto the desk. Wallace glared at him. Seifer noticed that and spoke, exhaling a big cloud of smoke _"Do you mind?"_

- _"Would it matter?" _asked Wallace. Seifer shook his head in response _"Thought so…" _

- _"So… how's life been treating ya?" _asked Seifer casually.

- _"Pleasantly enough…" _replied Wallace _"But I've been hearing it's been more than kind to **you**…" _he added raising an eyebrow.

- _"Care to elaborate on that?" _asked Seifer, not seeing where Wallace was taking it.

- _"I've been reading the… papers…" _said Wallace meaningfully.

- _"Ah." _said Seifer getting the point **_'More like shitty tabloids…'_**

- _"So __Miss__Trepe__ and you are an item now, eh?" _he asked kind of spitefully.

- _"Obviously…" _said Seifer smirking.

- _"No offence…" _began Wallace _"But I really can't tell what the hell she saw in you…"_

- _"If you could, you'd probably be wearing a thong underneath that nice suit of yours…" _said Seifer blowing some smoke towards Wallace's face. Wallace gritted his teeth threateningly.

- _"Better get to the object of the mission, shall we?" _he asked trying to retain his composure.

- _"Couldn't agree more…" _replied Seifer.

            Wallace bent down to the drawers next to his office. He opened the first one and took out an envelope. He handed it over to Seifer, who opened it, checking the contents inside it.

- _"That's Deling Gallery." _said Wallace, pointing at the small picture Seifer was now looking at _"There's an exhibition being held there tonight. And I'm the guest of honor." _Seifer raised an eyebrow at that. Wallace shot him a glare.

- _"So what's my job?" _asked the blond gunblade specialist.

- _"Being my bodyguard. As simple as that." _replied Wallace.

- _"Why not use your own?" _asked Seifer puzzled.

- _"After the fiasco in my mansion a few months ago…" _began Wallace, referring to the mission him, Quistis, Zell and other SeeDs had participated _"… I don't trust my bodyguards for occasions like these. I only use them for daily protection. In special occasions I always have others to protect me."_

- _"I see…" _said Seifer nodding _"And what's all this?" _he asked, motioning towards the file.

- _"A list of any potential threats." _replied Wallace _"Study it to keep your eyes peeled for any of them."_

- _"Alright… Anything else?" _asked Seifer.

- _"No that'll be all." _said Wallace _"I'll send someone to come pick you up at 8. Dress formally." _

- _"Fine…" _said Seifer getting up from his chair, putting out his cigarette over by the ashtray on the desk.

            He nodded Wallace goodbye and walked out of the office.

                                                                                    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Seifer walked out of the elevator and towards the entrance. On his way out, Terra spoke to him.

- _"Leaving so soon?"_ she asked.

- _"My business here is done." _replied Seifer.

- _"Alright… Well… See you around…" _said Terra reluctantly.

- _"Bye." _said Seifer, walking out through the doorway.

            Outside the ministry, the same black car which had brought Seifer there was parked. Seifer approached it and stuck his head through the window. He found Zidane buried inside the driver's seat, with his feet resting on the other window, reading the paper. He soon noticed Seifer and lowered his piece of reading down.        

- _"What?" _he asked.

- _"I suppose you have to drive me back to the hotel, right?" _said Seifer smirking.

- _"*Sigh* Get in…" _said Zidane sitting properly, putting his paper away.

                                                                                    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_                                                                                                            That night…_

            Seifer was just getting back to the hotel from his mission. He had officially declared it his worst mission **ever**. Nothing exciting had happened. All he did was walk around the ballroom next to Wallace, listening to his incessant babbling with other guests and especially women,  hearing compliments of flirtatious and drooling old hags and putting up with Wallace's never-ending comments on what Quistis had seen in him. He was more than glad to get back to the hotel. The following morning he'd be on the first train back in Balamb to see his friends and Quisty again… But right now he needed some sleep.

            He approached his wreck of a hotel and walked over to the reception inside. He found the clerk sleeping right on the desk, with his head buried inside his, crossed on the desk, arms. Seifer raised an eyebrow at that and looked at his watch. It was hardly two past midnight. Seifer shook his head in disbelief and walked behind the reception desk, grabbing his key from the wall behind. He walked past the clerk who was sill asleep and walked up the stairs to his room. 

            Not one minute had passed since he disappeared up the stairs, than the clerk raised his head back up. He glanced at the stairway, then rested his head on his balled fist, continuing his shift… 

                                                                                    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_                                                                                                            The next day…_

            Back in the Garden, the final preparations for that night's New Year's party were taking place. Inside the ballroom, Selphie had climbed up a chair and was giving orders to everyone through a megaphone. 'Volunteers' were spread all over the big room; some were putting up the decorations, others were adjusting the position of the banner, others were moving the tables and chairs to make room for the dance floor. Behind a big console, the DJ was picking out records to play at the party, while the bartender assorted the drinks on the selves behind the bar. A very tired-looking Irvine approached Selphie. He had taken off his long coat and was drenched in sweat. He walked over to his petite hyper girlfriend and fell heavy on a chair right next to her.  

- _"All done with the tables…" _said Irvine wearily, rubbing his sore neck.

            Selphie plainly nodded and went on yelling through the megaphone to some people who had **dared **take two minutes off. The miniscule mercenary could get bossier than Quistis when it came to her job on the Garden Festival. Although giving the impression of a sweet, innocent girl at first, Selphie Tilmitt could catch others off guard with her sudden change of character in such occasions. Irvine grinned at the frightened looks on the faces of the group of students Selphie had just scolded. Then he turned his attention back at her. She was wearing a tiny denim skirt, a sleeveless yellow turtleneck sweater on top, and a pair of brown boots underneath. The brown-haired cowboy tilted his head, resting it on Selphie's chair. He looked up and grinned mischievously. Selphie felt his piercing glare upon her and stopped shouting momentarily, looking down at her boyfriend.

- _"Are you looking up my skirt?" _asked Selphie raising an eyebrow.

- _"Just checking…" _replied Irvine casually, the grin never leaving his face _"I see you went with the black one today…" _he said chuckling lightly.

            Selphie gave him a kick on the ribs with her leg, pretending to be annoyed. However, Irvine would have sworn he saw her lips twitch upwards a bit. Selphie went on giving orders for a while longer, until everything was ready for the party. 

- _"Alright! Good job everyone!" _she said cheerfully _"I'll see you all tonight at the party!" _she added, switching the megaphone off.

            She hopped off the chair and landed on Irvine's lap, knocking the air out of him. A swarm of exhausted students passed by, leaving the ballroom to go get some rest or food. They all waved goodbye at Selphie, between grunts and groans of pain and tiredness. Selphie cheerfully waved back and waited for everyone to clear the Ballroom. She wrapped her arms around Irvine's neck and swung her legs back and forth.

- _"Hungry?" _she asked.

- _"Starving… What time is it?" _asked Irvine.

- _"It's…" _said Selphie, checking her watch_ "…__12:30__. The others will probably be already at the Cafeteria. Let's go grab some lunch."_

- _"I need a shower first… I reek…" _said Irvine, adopting a disgusted expression.

- _"Nonsense. You'll be fine. Come on…" _said Selphie getting up, dragging Irvine from the hand.

                                                                                    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Inside the cafeteria, hordes of students were gathered. A loud hum of murmurs, laughter and chit-chat engulfed the big room. Selphie and Irvine walked hand-in-hand to their usual table, where Zell and Shizuka were sitting. Zell was eating a hamburger, not really chewing it, just gulping down huge bites. Shizuka seemed to have finished eating and was running a hand through Zell's bangs, adjusting them in place. Irvine and Selphie took their seats across them.

- _"Hey guys…" _said Shizuka sitting back, resting her head on Zell's shoulder.

- _"Hey yourself…" _said Irvine _"How long have you been here?" _

- _"About half an hour long." _replied Zuka.

- _"Translation: About six burgers long." _said Selphie grinning, looking at all the wrinkled burger papers scattered on the table.

- _"Oh, Pha, pha…" _said Zell through a mouth stuffed with bread, meat and ketchup.

- _"Are the preparations over?" _asked Zuka.

- _"Pointless question." _said Irvine _"Can't you see the rivers of sweat all over me?" _he asked sarcastically.

- _"Oh shut up!" _said Selphie, mock-angrily _"You didn't work **that **hard!"_

- _"'Didn't work that hard'?!" _said Irvine exasperated _"You were **this **close to start whipping me while shouting 'Work slave, work'!" _he said, receiving a fit of laughter from Zuka and Zell _"Then again…" _added Irvine, adopting a dreamy expression, earning a hard elbowing from Selphie this time.

- _"Where are Squall and Rin?"_ asked Selphie, changing the subject.

- _"Squall was very busy…" _began Zell.

- _"Typical…" _said Selphie.

- _"…so Rinoa took up some lunch in his office for them to eat there." _he added.

- _"What about Quistis?"_ asked Irvine.

- _"I dunno…" _said Shizuka shrugging _"She'll probably be here any minute now…"_

            No sooner had she finished her sentence, than Quistis walked inside the cafeteria talking on her cell-phone. Talking? No she was speaking in a volume that got close enough to shouting…

- _"Well of course I'm mad!" _the others heard her say as she approached them _"'Cause you said you'd make it dammit! Oh gee, thanks! I'll get to see you for what, **one** whole hour?! I feel so honored!" _she said sarcastically _"I **told** you, I have to be there **tomorrow**! Well **excuse me** for wanting to spend the day with you before I leave… Fine with me! Don't come at all! Stay in Hyne damn Deling!"_ she yelled, terminating the call.

            Frustrated out of her mind, the red-haired Instructor banged her phone down on the table. She sat down next to her friends, burying her face in her palms, letting out a grunt of indignation. 

- _"What's wrong?" _asked Selphie, putting her hand on her friend's shoulder.

- _"I'll tell you what's wrong!" _snapped Quistis jolting up, making Selphie jump back to her seat _"That **jerk** called Seifer Almasy, who obviously **enjoys** making my life more difficult for me, lost his train here because he **overslept**! And now, he'll get the next one which will be in **five** hours! **FIVE**!" _she yelled, spreading her palm, indicating the number 'five' _"That is if he even bothers to **come**!"_

- _"Geez Quisty, cut the man some slack…" _said Irvine _"He was tired from the mission and overslept, what's the big fucking deal? It could have happened to anyone…"_

- _"'Overslept' my ass! He probably hooked up with some **slut** from Deling and got too shagged out to even **walk**!" _yelled Quistis, earning weird glares from people around them and wide-eyed looks from her froends.__

- _"Damn Quis, you know I don't actually have the guy in my 'favorites' list, but don't exaggerate that much… I'm sure he didn't do this on **purpose**…" _said Zell.__

- _"And you **know** Seifer wouldn't cheat on you…" _added Selphie.__

- _"Don't bet on it…" _said Quistis, picking up her cell-phone, getting up.__

- _"Where are you going? Aren't you going to eat anything?" _Shizuka asked.__

- _"I'm not hungry…" _said Quistis marching out of the cafeteria in a rush.

            The two couples were left looking at each other puzzled. They'd never seen Quistis act like that before… Sure, she tended to get somewhat upset by trivial matters, but nothing like what they'd just witnessed…

- _"She's been kind of… edgy lately, huh?" _said Zell.

- _"That, my friend, is an understatement." _said Irvine _"I accidentally broke one of her hair clips the other day and she almost had my head!"_

- _"That damn job is driving her insane…" _said Zuka _"She's working way too hard…"_

- _"I kinda pity Seifer… He's the one who pays for it most of the time…" _said Selphie grinning.__

- _"Well, he's not exactly doing anything to **calm** her either…" _commented Zell _"He's always away lately…"_

- _"What can he do? It's his job…" _said Zuka.__

- _"Yeah, he wants that Vice-Commander position so bad, he's been working his ass off lately…" _said Irvine.__

- _"Either way, Quis needs some time away from everything before she stresses herself to death…"_said Zell.__

- _"Why does she have to go to this damn seminar anyway?" _asked Irvine.__

- _"She says it's 'her obligation' since she's an instructor…" _said Selphie sarcastically.__

- _"What seminar?" _asked Zell.__

- _"It's in Esthar. It's for battling instructors." _replied Irvine.__

- _"Then how come **we're **not going?" _asked Zell pointing at himself and Irvine.__

- _"'Cause we're not 'Quistis' material…" _said Irvine grinning _"It's not actually mandatory…" _

- _"Sometimes I wonder why on earth they made you two instructors…" _said Shizuka shaking her head in disbelief.__

                                                                                    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

- _"DAMMIT!" _roared Seifer, hanging up his cell-phone after the quarrel with Quistis.

            He was sitting in the back seat of a taxi, stuck in traffic for more than half an hour. As if it wasn't enough that he had had the most boring mission of his life last night, overslept in the morning **and **had gotten stuck in a huge traffic jam in hope of getting to the train station in time, he'd now just had a fight with Quistis **_'Great… Just-fucking-great…' _**he thought **_'And why the hell did she have to snap like that?! It's not like I did it on purpose… Fuck… I wanted to see her more before she leaves too, but it ain't my damn fault that there's so much fucking traffic…' _**He sighed deeply and looked outside the window. The sound of horns and yells from angry drivers made him even more upset. And the fact that the damn taxi driver was listening to country, didn't make things any easier… **_'Hyne, WHY did it have to be COUNTRY?!_****_ I HATE country…' _**he thought. Just then, as if the driver could actually **hear** his thoughts, he began singing along to the tune, raising the volume. His dissonant voice filled Seifer's ears, adding up to the already nerve-breaking 'horn concerto' outside.

- _"Aaaargh!" _growled Seifer, kicking the front seat forcefully.  

- _"HEY!" _yelled the cab driver, turning back to Seifer _"What the heck do ye think ye're doin'?"_

            Seifer took a moment to look at the driver. He was a fat middle-aged man, wearing a red cap on his greasy black hair and had a face that needed desperately some shaving **_'Not to mention SOAP…' _**thought Seifer. He was wearing a washed out blue T-shirt which read 'I *heart* Deling City', which had sweat stains under the armpits and some others in front that Seifer didn't even want to **imagine** what they were from…

- _"Just lemme off here… I'll **walk** faster to the station in this traffic…" _said Seifer taking out his wallet.

- _"Ten Gil." _said the taxi driver.

            Seifer took out a ten Gil bill, handing it to the driver. He picked up the small suitcase lying next to him in the back seat and opened the door. He stepped outside, walking through the tiny 'paths' between the cars until he reached the pavement. He began walking towards the station, internally swearing at his bad luck the past couple of days. He glanced at his watch and saw it was already one in the afternoon. He'd missed his train back home for ten damn minutes. And now he had to wait until six for the next one. He shook his head in disbelief and continued striding down the sidewalk.

            At some point, he felt this weird sensation all over his skin. An ominous feeling was starting to take over him, becoming intensified with each and every step he took further. It almost felt like he was being followed. Almost? He stopped walking momentarily and checked around him. Nothing. He shrugged and went on his way, not being able to help but feel somewhat alarmed. He hadn't taken more than ten steps, when he felt being pulled into an alley by the side on the pavement. Swiftly, his hand rushed down to his Hyperion which he always carried with him. To his misfortune though, that was the last move he was able to make, as a strange-smelling handkerchief got pressed onto his mouth and nose, making him feel dizzy **_'Fucking… chloroform…'_** he thought, before his mind slipped into unconsciousness... 

* * *

**A/N: **OK, so that wasn't **exactly** about his mission, but bear with me! And what's this? A cliff-hanger from the first chapter? Nasty me…

_ON THE NEXT CHAPTER OF 'THE BEGINNING, IS THE END, IS THE BEGINNING':_

_What happened to Seifer in that alley?_

_Will Quistis and his friends back in Garden hear of this?_

_Will the New Year kick in with such a bad omen?_


	4. Chapter 2: My last night here with you

**A/N: **Hey guys… I just want to apologize to all of you, as this chapter was supposed to be posted on the **11th**. And on another note, some of you might have noticed that the Foreword of the story is missing… Just put two and two together and you'll realize what the reason for my delay was…

Anywho… I wanted to point out something about this chapter. I remember reading a parody fic somewhere which commented on how almost every FF8 author kept forgetting that Rinoa used to have a special little someone following her around… Yes, I'm talking about her dog, Angelo. When I read that fic, it hit me that I was part of all those writers. On the prequel to this story, I have never **once** mentioned him. Yikes… Either way, I learned from my mistake and remembered to include him in **this** story. 

BTW, I mention the element of Blitzball in this chapter. I've only taken a small peek of FF10, I've never played it, so I have no idea how Blitzball is played. I just used it as a FF8 equivalent to football, mkay?

**_Last chapter summary:_** We were left right at the point where Seifer was left unconscious on his way back to Balamb after a mission… 

* * *

* * *

                                                                                    **_~*The Beginning, is the End, is the Beginning*~_**

                                                                                                    A sequel to _'Love Conquers All'_

                                                                                                         By: Sickness in Salvation

**                                                                                           Chapter 2: My last night here with you**

* * *

* * *

            Seifer woke up feeling his head spin like crazy. He slowly parted his eyelids open, revealing a blurry surrounding behind fair eyelashes. He rubbed and squinted his eyes, until his vision eventually focused. He helped himself up and sat on the ground, rubbing his forehead. He looked around him and saw he was still in the alley he'd been pulled into, his suitcase always lying next to him. Instinctively, he opened it and went quickly through the contents, strangely finding everything right in place. He checked his pockets and found both his wallet and his cell-phone there **_'My Hyperion!' _**he thought and frantically, his hand went to the left side of his pants where he always kept his lethal weapon. It was still there… In fact, everything was **exactly** where it had been right after the moment of the assault **_'So it couldn't have been thieves…' _**thought Seifer. He fell deep in thought for a few moments, scratching the back of his head. A thought crossed his mind and he hastily pulled his sleeves and pants up. No marks. Not a single one… 

            **_'I don't get this,' _**he thought, rubbing the back of his hair **_'Someone attacked me, rendered me unconscious, but stole nothing, nor did anything to me… *Long pause* What the hell…?' _**he thought. His gaze wandered around blankly andfor the first time, he noticed that it was no longer daylight outside. The sun had long set and the sky was now being slowly covered by the dark veil of the night –or evening, Seifer hoped-. He immediately checked his watch. 5:26.

- _"Shit!" _he said out loud, jolting up, grabbing his suitcase _"I'm gonna miss my train! **Again**!" _

                                                                                    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_                                                                                                      Back in Garden…_

            The time was 8:30 in the continent of Balamb, where the Garden –named after its original location- was stationed. Inside Squall and Rinoa's dorm, Rinoa and Selphie were getting ready for the New Year's party. Clothes, stockings, shoes, make-up kits and hair-care products were spread all around the bedroom and bathroom. Rinoa was in her bathrobe, her raven locks falling still damp on her shoulders, and was polishing her nails. Selphie was in her underwear, blow-drying her hair in front of a mirror. Angelo –Rinoa's dog- was lying on the carpet, right in front of Rinoa, watching her with his black watery eyes. Suddenly, the door flung open and Irvine's head popped out from the hallway. Screams were heard form both girls, as the young cowboy chuckled at the sight. Angelo rushed over to the door, growling and bearing his teeth at Irvine menacingly. 

- _"How are mah girls doin'?" _he asked. Angelo barked loudly _"Whoa there boy!"_ he added, grinning.

****

****

Selphie marched furious towards the door holding a big round brush on her right hand, swinging it threateningly at her boyfriend.

- _"Irvy,_ _get the hell outta here!" _she yelled.

- _"Hey, I was only enjoying the sight of mah pooh-bear in her underwear…" _he said grinning.

- _"Your 'pooh-bear' doesn't happen to be the **only **person inside the room you know!" _yelled Rinoa, tightening up the belt of her robe _"__Angelo__! Sit!" _she ordered and the brown-furred dog complied. 

- _"Out, out!" _hissed Selphie, pushing Irvine outside.

- _"What's going on here?" _asked Shizuka, who had just arrived outside in the corridor dressed in her PJs, holding a plastic bag with her stuff inside.

- _"__Irvine__ decided to go snooping around in the room while we're getting ready…" _said Selphie, eyeing the cowboy poisonously.

- _"Aw c'mon! It was just a joke!" _protested Irvine laughing _"Squall said you'll all be gathered here to get ready and I decided to pay you a little visit…"_

- _"*Sigh* I don't believe you…" _said Zuka, walking inside the room, shaking her head in disbelief.

- _"We're over at our dorm, when should we come pick you up?"_ Irvine askedSelphie.

- _"You're ready?" _asked Selphie, checking his outfit.

- _"Yep… What do you think?" _asked Irvine making a turn around his self.

            He was wearing a white shirt left hanging loose and a pair of black pants. He had his hair worn in his usual ponytail, letting his small white diamond earring show on his ear. Irvine always knew how to dress; a simple outfit, showing that he didn't try too hard, always did the trick for the charming cowboy. Selphie gave him a cute smile.

- _"Lookin' good…" _she said giggling. 

- _"Same back at ya…" _he said winking at her. Selphie scoffed and rolled her eyes.

- _"Come pick us up by ten, that's when the party begins." _said Selphie giving him a peck, then closed the door.

- _"I **told **you to lock the door!" _roared Rinoa as soon as the green-eyed brunette entered the room.

- _"Relax, he didn't see anything…" _said Selphie grinning.

- _"Tsk, whatever…" _said Rinoa, going back to polishing her nails.

- _"My, my… Squall's really starting to rub off on you, huh?" _asked Shizuka, grinning. Selphie giggled and Rinoa stuck her tongue at her playfully _"Where's Quistis?" _asked Zuka again, now brushing her wet raven locks of hair.

- _"I called her just a few minutes ago and all I got was a grunt and a muffled 'I'm not in the mood to come'…" _replied Selphie.

- _"What, she's not coming?" _asked Zuka.

- _"Of course she is. She just needed some more 'drastic' persuasion…" _said Selphie giggling.

- _"Do I… want to know?" _asked Zuka. Rinoa shook her head in response _"OK," _she said chuckling _"When will she drop by?"_

- _"She said she'll be here right after she gets out of the shower." _answered Selphie.

            The girls went on getting ready chatting incessantly in the process. After about fifteen minutes, the phone rang. Rinoa struggled to move through the mess in which the room was to get to the phone and picked it up.

- _"Hello?" _she said _"Oh hey… Uh-huh… Oh, I dunno… Why don't you wear the black one?" _

- _"Is that Quistis?" _asked Selphie. Rinoa nodded _"Gimme that…" _she said, grabbing the receiver from Rinoa's hands _"What is it? I thought we already talked about that! … You're wearing the white one! … I said the **white one**, end of story!" _said Selphie firmly, hanging up.

- _"What was that all about?" _asked Zuka puzzled.

- _"Quistis didn't know what to wear. I told her to put on the white dress Seifer got her for Christmas, but she didn't want to because she's pissed at him." _replied Selphie.

- _"What white dress?" _asked Rinoa.

- _"You'll see… It's super!" _said Selphie grinning.

            After a couple of minutes, a gentle knock was heard on the door. Zuka went to open up and came face to face with a grumpy-looking Quistis.

- _"Hi…" _she said weakly, walking inside.

- _"Why the long face?" _asked Rinoa.

- _"I don't feel like going to the party…" _she said, falling heavy on the bed.

- _"Why not?" _asked Zuka.

- _"You guys are all going to be with your boyfriends. Seifer won't come, so what's the point?" _said Quistis gloomily. Angelo approached her and began licking her hand affectionately, although Quistis didn't seem to notice.

- _"Quistis, just 'cause you had a fight doesn't mean he won't come…" _said Rinoa wearily.

- _"He told me so…" _said Quistis.

- _"He was just trying to get a rise out of you," _said Selphie _"He wouldn't back out of the fight, exactly like you did."_

- _"I dunno…" _mumbled Quistis.

- _"Quit your whining and start getting ready! He'll be there!" _said Zuka impatiently.

            Quistis groaned as the three girls pulled her up from bed and began looking around the things she'd brought **_'Oh well…' _**she thought, deciding to stop playing hard to get.

                                                                                    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Inside Irvine and Selphie's dorm, all the guys except for Seifer were gathered. They had already gotten dressed up for the party. Zell was wearing a deep blue shirt and a pair of black pants. His hair was ever spikier than usual, and his long front bangs shined with gel. Squall was the one dressed most formally. Him being the Commander, he was obliged to 'set the example'. He was wearing pair of black pants, a white shirt tucked inside the pants, a black tie and the jacket of the suit on top, which he had now taken off. His hair was worn in its usual style.  

            The three were watching a game of Blitzball on TV. Esthar 'Tigers' versus Centra 'Lions'. So far, Zell's team, the 'Tigers', were winning 2-0. Irvine was bitching because his team, the rivals, were obviously losing. Squall wasn't much into Blitzball, so he just lay on the bed bored, resting his cheek on his balled fist. Irvine and Zell were sitting on a couple of chairs right in front of the TV on the table, drinking beers. Suddenly, the Esthar 'Tigers' scored another goal and Zell jumped up from his chair in delight.

- _"HYNE DAMMIT!" _yelled Irvine _"The fucking judge must be bribed outta his mind! That was a pure foul just before the goal!" _

- _"Three to zero… Three to zero…" _said Zell rhythmically, now dancing right in front of Irvine.__

- _"Damn, you guys… It's just a game…" _said Squall rolling his eyes. Irvine and Zell both turned around immediately.__

- _"'**Just **a game'?" _asked Irvine raising an eyebrow.__

- _"Dude, Blitzball is like…" _said Zell lost for words _"…like… religion…" _he added exasperated.__

- _"O - K…" _said Squall eyeing them weirdly. Irvine and Zell turned their attention back to the game which had resumed _"By the way… Who's playing a Blitzball game on **New Year's**?" _asked Squall.__

- _"Man, sometimes I think you don't live on **this** planet!" _said Zell sarcastically.__

- _"Whatever… Forget I asked…" _said Squall rolling his eyes.__

- _"This game was not aired yesterday because of the bad weather in Centra. They're showing it now." _replied Irvine.__

- _"And I was supposed to know that because…?" _asked Squall. Zell looked at him exasperated, trying to find the words _"Forget it," _said Squall motioning him to stop his desperate attempt _"Don't you already know the score then?" _he asked Irvine.__

- _"It's the last game of the season, so they didn't let it leak out. If they had, not many would have watched it on TV." _replied Irvine.__

- _"Will you shut up already?! I'm trying to watch!" _said Zell, keeping his eyes stuck on the screen.__

            Squall groaned and buried his head in his arms. He would have probably fallen asleep from boredom if it weren't for Irvine and Zell's constant shouts of either protest or delight. Suddenly, he heard the familiar sound of the news cast coming from the TV. He raised his head back up and looked at the screen puzzled. The game had been cut off and an urgent news cast was now about to be aired.

- _"Aw c'mon!" _groaned Zell, throwing his hands in the air.

- _"Be quiet, this might be important…" _said Squall sitting up on the bed.__

            The screen switched to the news studio of the Centranian channel they were watching. A young woman dressed in a suit was seated behind the desk, getting ready to speak.

- _"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. We're sorry to interrupt our program, but we have some urgent news to broadcast. The current President of Galbadia, Sirius __Connelly__, has just been reported missing. He was supposed to be attending a New Year's gala right now, but he never showed up. The Galbadian authorities are on their way to the President's residence as we speak. When we have more news on the subject we will interrupt our program again to keep you informed. Good night." _said the news caster.

- _"What the hell does she mean 'interrupt our program again'?! We've got a game to watch!" _said Zell, as the screen switched back to the Blitzball match.

- _"Dammit Zell, that was serious!" _said Squall looking concerned.

- _"Either way… We gotta get goin'…" _said Irvine checking his watch _"It's already __10:06__."_

- _"But I wanna watch the game!" _whined Zell as Irvine switched off the TV.

- _"Me too, but what would you rather do? Miss the game or have Shizuka all over your case later on?" _said Irvine. Zell stopped to think for a second _"Let me put it simply. You either watch the game or don't get any for at **least** a week…"_

- _"Let's go…" _said Zell getting up, putting his leather jacket on.

                                                                                    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            The four girls were sitting on the double bed in Squall and Rinoa's dorm, chatting. They were all ready for the party. Rinoa was wearing a black leather mini skirt, a deep blue top which tied up on the neck and had a completely bare back, with only one strap in the middle and a pair of black high-heeled boots. Shizuka was wearing a black strapless midi dress and a pair of black slippers. She had her hair worn up in a cute bun, with a few locks falling down on her cheeks. Selphie was the only one wearing pants. She wore a pair of black leather ones, a red strapless top which left her whole belly uncovered, revealing the belly ring she had recently gotten and a pair of black boots. She had done her hair all messy and her make-up was pretty wild. Quistis was wearing a silk white midi dress with no sleeves, which ended up into a turtleneck. Around the fabric of the neck an elegant grayish-white fur was tailored. She wore white slippers, had her hair let down and slightly wavy and had used silvery-white eye shadow on her eyelids. 

            The three girls -all except for Quistis- were talking vigorously; she was still feeling kind of down. She didn't like fighting with Seifer, especially when they were apart. What if he didn't come at all? What if they ended up spending New Year's apart? And how the hell would she survive a party with all the rest of her friends paired up?

- _"Will you stop worrying?" _said Selphie impatiently, as if she could read her thoughts _"He'll **come**. I'll bet you anything…"_

- _"*Sigh* I just wish I hadn't snapped at him so bad…" _said Quistis.__

- _"Well you shouldn't have, but either way, we **all** know how this ends…" _began Zuka, looking at the rest of the girls meaningfully.__

- _"Yeah… You fight, you pretend to be mad at each other for a few hours, then make up… Repeat…" _said Rinoa sarcastically.__

- _"It's become a daily routine…" _added Selphie.__

- _"We do **not** do that all the time!" _said Quistis, feeling kind of offended. __

- _"Need I refresh your memory?"_ asked Rinoa, raising an eyebrow.__

**_                                                                                                    **FLASHBACK**_**

****

****

            Rinoa was lying on top of Squall in their bed, kissing him deeply. Squall moved his lips to her neck and began removing her underwear. Rinoa closed her eyes and moaned softly. Suddenly, some sort of noise was heard from the dorm right next to them. Both of them stopped and tried to listen carefully.

- _"… always complaining! No matter… do… nothing… good enough for you!" _came a male voice, muffled from the insulation provided by the walls.

- _"…think…mad about that?! … can't believe you!" _retorted a female voice.

            Squall and Rinoa groaned and sighed in unison. Seifer and Quistis…

- _"Hyne, not again…" _said Squall, slapping his forehead with one palm.

- _"Just ignore them…" _mumbled Rinoa and leaned back in, kissing him.

- _"…more do you want?!" _yelled Seifer.

- _"…see you… often!" _replied Quistis.

- _"…not my fault! You… too busy… with job as well! … hear me complaining?!"_

- _"…guess … don't care enough to!"_

- _"QUISTIS! Quistis…here RIGHT NOW!"_

**                                                                                       !BANG!**

            Squall and Rinoa winced at the loud thud and stopped doing anything else once again. That had obviously been the sound of a door slamming. They heard footsteps getting louder and louder and the creaking sound of a door opening.

- _"QUISTIS GET BACK HERE **THIS** INSTANT!"_ roared Seifer from the hallway.

- _"What the hell are they doing?!" _said Squall angrily _"They'll wake up the whole damn corridor!"_

            Right then, came a firm knock on their door.

- _"You have GOT to be kidding me!" _groaned Squall in indignation. Rinoa rolled off of him and reached for her robe lying on a chair next by _"Rinoa, don't answer it!" _hissed Squall.

- _"I **have** to! They're our friends, Squall!" _Rinoa whispered.

- _"Hyne dammit…" _Squall cursed under his breath.

            Rinoa tightened up her robe and walked over to the door, opening it. She found Quistis waiting outside, dressed in a pair of lavender pajama bottoms and a white camisole, her red hair worn up in a ponytail.

- _"Hey, sorry about the hour, but could I stay here tonight?" _asked Quistis.

            Rinoa ran a hand through her messed up hair and grinned at Quistis awkwardly.

- _"Quisty, this **really** isn't a good time…" _she replied.

            The sound of more footsteps was heard. Quistis turned her head to the right, seeing an enraged Seifer approaching, dressed in a pair of black sweatpants. She shot him a poisonous glare and barged inside the room. Rinoa sighed and turned to look at Seifer.

- _"Hi Seifer…" _she said wearily.

- _"Hi Rinoa," _he said, walking inside the room as well. He walked over to Quistis grabbed her arm and tried to pull her outside _"Bye Rinoa…" _he said, attempting to leave the room.

            Squall was sitting up the bed, arms resting behind his back, a furious expression spread on his face. Quistis yanked her arm from Seifer's grasp, as Rinoa walked inside too, closing the door behind her.

- _"I'm **not** sleeping in the same room as you tonight!" _said Quistis stubbornly, crossing her arms, avoiding looking at Seifer. Seifer was about to answer, when Squall butted in.

- _"What's the idea with you two?!" _he said indignantly _"Gonna keep everyone up?"_ he asked.__

- _"I don't suppose we woke you up?" _retorted Seifer sarcastically.__

- _"That's right! I was not **sleeping**!" _he said angrily.__

- _"I can see that…" _replied Seifer raising an eyebrow, while looking at both Squall and Rinoa _"Come on Quistis, let's go." _he said firmly, motioning her to come out with him.__

- _"I'm not going anywhere with you." _Quistis spat back, still not facing him.__

- _"They said they want to be left alone and they're **right**!" _Seifer said.__

- _"Am I bothering you Rin?" _Quistis asked, turning to look at her friend. Rinoa grinned and tried to answer politely, but Seifer beat her to it.__

- _"Yes you are! Now come on!" _he hissed, grabbing her wrist again.__

- _"I'm not leaving!" _Quistis insisted, earning glares from both Squall and Rinoa _"I meant not with **him**!" _she added.__

- _"Stop acting so Hyne damn selfish and let's go!" _said Seifer, dragging her to the door.__

- _"Look who's talking about selfishness! '__Mr.__Ego__' himself!" _said Quistis sarcastically, struggling to stay back. __

Seifer stopped in his tracks and let go of her hand. He crossed his arms in front of his bare chest and glared at her.

- _"Do you mean that?" _he asked, although it sounded a whole lot more like a threat.

- _"Every – single – word." _said Quistis, smirking.

            Seifer knew she didn't, but if she wanted to play it hard, so would he.

- _"So says 'Miss Walking-Iceberg',"_ Seifer spat back, knowing he'd hit her right where it hurt the most. Quistis' eyes narrowed and her lips parted _"And I mean it," _added Seifer sneering _"Every – single – word." _he said, imitating her.

            

          Rinoa bit her lip and Squall pursed his lips at that remark **_'Now there'll be Hell to pay…' _**both thought. Quistis' eyes narrowed even more and she made a move to slap him. However, Seifer had been counting on that, so he grabbed her wrist in mid-air, ducked and threw her up on his right shoulder. He grabbed her legs with one arm, to prevent her from starting kicking him, and with a broad grin on his face, made his way to the door.

- _"The door if you please Rinoa." _he said smugly.

            Rinoa shook her head in disbelief and opened it, ignoring Quistis' protests and pleads for help. 

- _"'Night…" _said Seifer, strolling out to the hallway.

            Rinoa closed the door behind him and sighed in relief. Within seconds, the creak and the thud of a door closing were heard. Squall opened his mouth to speak, but Rinoa pressed her index finger to her lips, motioning him to remain silent.

- _"… don't believe you!" _Quistis' voice was heard again.

- _"… shut up and listen?!"_ Seifer yelled back.

- _"… to what?"_

- _"… don't you understand… everything… do… do it for you?!"_

            Silence. Rinoa grinned and approached Squall on the bed again. Moments later, the sound of a high-pitched squeal came from the room next-door…

**_                                                                                          **END OF FLASHBACK**_**

            Rinoa looked at Quistis meaningfully after finishing her narration. Selphie and Shizuka giggled, while Quistis rolled her eyes and remained silent. The door knocked just then and Zuka walked over to open it. She found the three guys waiting for them outside, Irvine standing in front.

- _"Are all of you dolls ready?" _he asked grinning.

- _"All set!" _said Zuka cheerfully walking inside to pick up her coat. __

            Irvine stepped inside as well, walking over to the bed. He extended both his arms to Selphie and Quistis and spoke.

- _"Will you ladies give me the pleasure of being the only man escorting two beauties to the party tonight?" _he asked, smiling charmingly. 

- _"With such a smile…" _began Quistis grinning.__

- _"…how could we refuse?" _added Selphie.__

- _"But the beauty in white will have to forgive me for not being the one to monopolize her night," _said Irvine _"I'm only filling in until her **real** escort comes…"_ he added, winking at her. Quistis scoffed.__

- _"Yes… When he arrives, **he'll** be the one in need of an escort after I'm done with him…" _she said sarcastically.__

            Irvine chuckled and offered his arms to the two girls. 

- _"Come on, we're gonna be late…" _said Rinoa putting her coat on _"__Angelo__, be a good boy now…" _she added, stroking her dog's head.__

            Angelo barked and walked over by the bed, lying down on the carpet. The aforementioned trio and two more couples walked down the dormitory corridors, heading towards the ballroom on the 2nd floor.

                                                                                    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            The Garden ballroom was already filled with people when the seven friends arrived. The dance floor was roaming with students dancing and all the tables except for a few were full. Right over the large doorway a banner reading 'New Year's party 2004' was hung. The place was sparkling with Christmas-like decorations, while the huge Christmas tree was still standing glorious at the far corner of the ballroom. A large electronic screen was hung up on the wall, set in a countdown to midnight. The gang all walked towards their reserved table. 

- _"Wow… What a turn-out!" _admired Rinoa _"Well done Selph!"_

- _"Yeah Selphie, great job…" _agreed Squall.__

- _"It's even better than the Christmas party and that **already** rocked!"_ added Zell.__

- _"You guys are making me blush…" _said Selphie covering her burning red cheeks.__

- _"But seriously… We've done one hell of a job…" _said Irvine looking around.__

            Quistis was the only one not talking. She was staring blankly at nowhere in particular. Rinoa noticed her and groaned.

- _"Snap out of it already! I can't see you be down like that!" _she said exasperated.

- _"Huh?" _asked Quistis jolting back to reality.

- _"Ungh! Zell, please take her to dance, or else she'll rot on her chair!" _said Zuka.

- _"With pleasure…" _said Zell getting up, dragging a protesting Quistis over to the dance floor.

- _"If Seifer doesn't hurry up and come, I'm gonna kill him with my bare hands!" _said Rinoa.

- _"Tell me about it… So… Who's gonna go get us drinks?" _asked Selphie sweetly, batting her eyelashes at Irvine.

- _"What, me?" _whined Irvine. Selphie nodded, extending her bottom lip _"Dammit! I hate it when you go all cute on me!" _

- _"Yeah, but it works…" _said Selphie hugging him _"Screwdriver. Lemon, not orange."_ she added, giving him a peck on the nose.

- _"What about you guys?" _asked Irvine sighing.

- _"I'll have a Margarita." _said Zuka.

- _"Same." _said Rinoa.

- _"Squall?" _asked Irvine.

- _"I'll come help you carry them…" _the Commander replied, getting up.

            The two guys left their table and walked over to the bar, making a stop on the dance floor first, where Zell and Quistis were. 

- _"We're going over for drinks. Want anything?" _Squall asked the dancing duet.

- _"I'll have a beer." _said Zell.

- _"A Martini for __me.__" _said Quistis.

- _"Shake it…" _said Irvine chuckling, winking at Quistis as they left for the bar.

                                                                                    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Seifer was running down the Garden's front yard, towards the Gates. He checked his watch **_'Damn it! _****_11:48_****_,' _**he thought **_'I'll barely make it to the countdown!' _**He ran to the Gates, where the old man who stood guard for as long as he could remember, stopped him.

- _"Whoa, whoa there Seifer…" _he said; he knew the blond SeeD from his very first years in Garden. Besides, who **didn't**?

- _"I'm in a hurry __Mr.__Stanford__!" _said Seifer out of breath _"I'll miss the countdown!"****_

- _"Go, go…" _said the old man laughing, letting Seifer pass.**__**

            The blond sprinted down the empty corridors of Garden. He was holding his suitcase on one hand and his Hyperion case in the other. He knew his train would be arriving just in time, so he took the opportunity to change for the party in his cabin. He now wore a pair of black pants, a deep green shirt hanging loose, a black tie and a black leather jacket on top. He had his hair gelled up in messy spikes, giving a funky tune to his otherwise formal attire. Seifer checked his watch once more as he approached the Dormitory hallway. 11:52. He ran faster until he reached his dorm. He hastily took out his keycard and slid it through the receptor of the machine on the door. He hurried inside, threw his luggage on the floor, then ran to the bathroom. He checked himself on the mirror, running a hand through his hair and sprinted back out of the room.  

            In lightning speed, he reached the Main Hall and walked -or rather jumped- up the stairs. He called the elevator and quickly walked inside, pressing the button for the 2nd floor. He checked his watch yet again. 11:58 **_'Come on… Come on…' _**he thought nervously, as the elevator went up too damn slow for him. He finally reached the 2nd floor and ran down the corridor to the ballroom.

                                                                                    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Quistis was checking her watch for the one thousandth time that night. 11:57. She sighed deeply **_'He's not coming…' _**she thought, resting her face on both palms. Although her anxiety had gotten annoying all night, right now her friends could understand her. They all shot each other awkward looks, as they saw the depressed expression on her face. 

- _"I swear to Hyne, I'm gonna **strangle** Almasy…" _Zell whispered to Irvine.

- _"Trust me, you're not the only on with such intentions…" _replied Irvine.

- _"Alright everyone!" _called the DJ through the microphone _"Get ready for the final countdown!"_

            The numbers on the electronic screen now read '00:00:21'. All the students got up from their tables. Quistis reluctantly got up, feeling as if she couldn't care less. Selphie sighed, feeling incredibly sorry for her friend. She held Irvine's hand and her look wandered a bit around the room in boredom. Her green sparkly eyes grew wide as soon as they spotted the entrance, though. 

- _"QUISTY! Over there! Look!" _shouted Selphie cheerfully, nudging her friend on the ribs, pointing towards the entrance _"Seifer's here!"_

            Quistis immediately turned around and saw Seifer who had just ran inside the ballroom, panting, trying to catch his breath. He looked around trying to spot Quistis. He finally saw Selphie, jumping up and down, moving all her limbs frantically for him to notice, laying a rogue punch on Irvine's eye in the process. Seifer's face lightened up as he hastily walked through the crowds, towards the table. Quistis left her friends, running towards him as well. The countdown had already begun.

_'TEN!' _roared the whole ballroom.

            Seifer pushed aside anyone he found on his way, not bothering to apologize.

_                                                                                                        '…NINE…!'_

            Quistis squeezed her way through the hordes of people gathered on the dance floor.

_                                                                                                      '…EIGHT…!'_

            He was getting close to her, he could she her smiling at him from about thirty feet away.

_                                                                                                     '…SEVEN…!'_

            She saw him clearly now. She was steadily approaching him.

_                                                                                                        '…SIX…!'_

            Damn it, couldn't these people see he was in a hurry?

_                                                                                                       '…FIVE…!'_

            She was getting close… He was only a few feet away… Damn all that crowd…

_                                                                                                        '…FOUR…!'_

            Almost there… He was reaching her…

_                                                                                                       '…THREE…!'_

            She was near… Very near…

_                                                                                                         '…TWO…!'_

            He grabbed her outstretched arm and pulled her close to him, pushing away the very few people who were parting them now. She found herself inches away from him. 

_                                                                                                          '…ONE!'_

He pulled her close from the waist, while she wrapped her arms around his neck. The lights switched off for a second and their faces came close. They both felt the room go mute in silence and could only hear the hot, heavy breath of each other, as their burning lips united. The lights went back on when they closed their eyes.

_                                                                                                'HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!'_

            They both pulled back after a few seconds, looking at the fireworks blowing up gloriously right outside. Glittery confetti and colorful balloons reading 'Happy New Year!' or 'Year 2004!' came falling from the ceiling, showering every soul in the room. Seifer and Quistis turned back to look at each other.

- _"Happy new year Sei…"_ whispered Quistis, smiling.

- _"Happy new year Quis…" _whispered Seifer, pulling her chin up with his index finger.

             Quistis gladly accepted another kiss from her boyfriend, kissing him back with the same longing and lust. When they broke apart, Seifer rested his forehead against hers and hugged her tightly.

- _"Thought I wouldn't come, did ya?" _he asked grinning.

- _"For a moment…" _she replied. Well, at least half the truth was better than an outright lie…

- _"Could I ever leave my kitten alone on such a day?" _he asked looking at her.

- _"When your kitten acts like a neurotic bitch, yes…" _said Quistis grinning.

- _"Not neurotic," _said Seifer putting his arm around her shoulder _"Just a bit… moody…"_ he said smiling, as they walked back to their table.

- _"Fair enough…" _she said grinning, holding his waist, resting her head on his shoulder.

- _"You look like an angel tonight," _he whispered to her ear _"I knew that dress would look perfect on you…"_

- _"Thanks…" _said Quistis blushing.

            Seifer smiled at her cute awkwardness and leaned down to give her a peck. They couple reached the table where their friends were seated, joining them.

- _"Happy New Year, everyone…" _said Seifer to the three couples sitting on the table.

- _"Damn it man, what took you so long?!" _said Zell.

- _"You got Quisty all down and depressed all day…" _said Selphie.

- _"Did I now?" _asked Seifer grinning, looking at Quistis, who blushed profusely.

            The couple, sat down on the table next to the others. Quistis sat on Seifer's lap, hugging him tightly. She began removing confetti pieces that had gotten in between his spikes of hair, as he tenderly kissed her hands. Zell and Shizuka who were sitting right across them were watching them.

- _"Aww… Look at them… Aren't they cute?" _said Zuka grinning.

- _"I'm sorry, but I can't bring myself to see Almasy as 'cute'… Ever…" _replied Zell. Shizuka laughed.

- _"I meant as a couple." _she added, grinning.

- _"They're OK, I guess," _said Zell shrugging _"But I think we look cuter together…"_ he said, looking at her.

            Zuka smiled at him and gave him a kiss. Right next to them, Squall was talking to Laguna on his cell-phone, while caressing Rinoa's hair, who had her head on his shoulder.

- _"Happy New Year to you too Laguna…" _he said, sounding a bit bored.

- _"Kisses from Rinoa!" _said Rinoa, reaching up to talk –or rather shout- to the receiver.

- _"He kisses you back…" _said Squall, giving her a glare _"How's Ellone? Can I talk to her? Yeah, I'll wait… *Pause* Hey Sis… Happy New Year… Yeah, we're all fine… How are you? Uh-huh… *Laughter* She's right here next to me…"_

- _"Is that Ellone?" _asked Rinoa. Squall nodded _"Oh, gimme, gimme!" _she said, snatching the cell-phone from his hands _"Happy New Year Ellone! How's __Ethan__? *Giggle* Give him lots of kisses! Sure… Yeah, it's all good… Do you want Squall back? OK, buh-bye!" _she said handing the phone back to her boyfriend.

- _"Hey," _said Squall _"Who's __Ethan__? How come I didn't know about him? Yeah, yeah… OK… Send my regards to Laguna and everyone, k? Bye…" _he said, hanging up.

- _"'Send my regards'? Really, Squall…" _said Rinoa, rolling her eyes.

- _"What about that 'Kisses from Rinoa!'?" _said Squall, mimicking her voice, crossing his arms.

- _"Hey, I just happen to like my future father-in-law…" _she replied grinning.

- _"Your WHAT?!" _asked Squall, his eyes shooting wide open.

- _"Just kiddin' sugar…" _said Rinoa laughing, kissing him on the cheek.

            Irvine and Selphie laughed heartily at the scene between Squall and Rinoa. Selphie was feeding Irvine some pizza they'd brought over from the buffet. They were sitting right across Squall and Rinoa, next to Quistis and Seifer.

- _"So Seifer,"_ said Irvine through a full mouth _"How'd the mission go?"_

            Seifer nuzzled his head out of Quistis' neck and looked at the cowboy.

- _"Boring as hell," _he replied _"All I had to do was play bodyguard for some jackass…"_

- _"Who?" _asked Selphie.

- _"Oh, hey… I didn't tell you!" _said Seifer chuckling, looking at Quistis.

- _"What?" _she asked grinning.

- _"Remember when I told you the mission was about a certain ministry?" _he asked. Quistis nodded _"Well, guess which one it was!"_

- _"I dunno…Which one?" _said Quistis shrugging.

- _"The Ministry of Defense!" _said Seifer, now laughing along with Quistis.

- _"You're kidding!" _said Quistis between chuckles.

- _"What? What's so funny?"_ asked Selphie.

- _"Oh Hyne," _said Quistis fanning herself _"Remember a few months ago when me, Seifer, Xu, Zell and some others went on a mission to Galbadia?" _she asked.

- _"Yeah…" _said Selphie.

- _"Remember the guy we worked for? __Lucius__Wallace__?" _asked Seifer.

- _"Him again?!" _asked Selphie grinning. Quistis and Seifer both nodded.

- _"Didn't that guy use to fancy you Quis?" _asked Irvine.

- _"I think he still does…" _said Seifer smirking _"You shoulda seen the look on his face when he saw me…"_

- _"Talking about Galbadia… Did you guys hear about the President missing?" _asked Irvine. All of them looked at him puzzled.

- _"No… When did that happen?" _asked Quistis.

- _"We heard it on the news right before we came to get you for the party." _replied Irvine.

- _"That's all they said?" _asked Quistis.

- _"Yeah, they were sending troops over to his residence to check things out. That's all we heard." _replied Irvine.

- _"Wow…" _said Selphie _"This could be serious, huh? Didn't you hear anything… 'weird' while in Deling, Seifer?" _she asked him.

- _"No nothing." _said Seifer shrugging _"Although…" _he added, rubbing his chin.

- _"What?" _asked Quistis softly.

- _"I didn't want to tell you to upset you," _began Seifer _"But when I was on my way to the station, someone pulled me into an alley and rendered me unconscious with chloroform…"_

- _"WHAT?!" _asked Quistis worriedly _"Did you see who it was?"_

- _"No… But when I woke up nothing was missing. And I wasn't bruised or anything either…" _he replied _"Either way, I don't see how this could be connected to the President's disappearance…"_

- _"Yeah, but it's not something you should take lightly…" _said Irvine.

- _"I know, but there's nothing I can really do… Besides, nothing was stolen or misplaced…" _said Seifer.

- _"You should report it to Cid and Squall." _suggested Quistis.

- _"I will. As soon as I give them my full report." _replied Seifer _"Anyway… Enough of this… Let's go dance…" _he said getting up.

            The tall blond, pulled his girlfriend to the dance floor, closely followed by Selphie and Irvine. He held her close to him and wrapped his arms around her, gently rocking her to the beat of the soft Blues song… 

                                                                                    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            The time was past four in the morning when they decided to wrap the party up. The ballroom began emptying slowly, as tired students and Garden staff all made their way back to their quarters. The four couples all stayed behind though, waiting for Selphie to receive congratulations from everyone. They were now all talking to Cid and Edea, who were the last people remaining in the room, besides the cleaning personnel.

- _"It was a wonderful party Selphie," _said Edea stretching from tiredness in Cid's arms _"Well done…"_

- _"Thank you Matron…" _said Selphie blushing.

- _"And now we can all get back to our work after that enjoyable break." _added Cid.

- _"*Sigh* Here goes the workaholic again…" _said Edea, making everyone chuckle.

- _"Well, I guess we should all wish you a good night… Or rather good morning…" _said Squall.

- _"Indeed…" _said Cid yawning, starting to walk towards the exit.

- _"By the way," _Edea whispered to Seifer's ear, who was right next to her _"I loved your impressive entrance tonight at the party…" _

Seifer grinned, rubbing the back of his hair awkwardly. Edea gave Quistis a wink, making her blush a bit. Seifer had always been Edea's favorite. And she was more that happy to see him with Quistis, since they seemed to have fitted so well together… 

            The quartet of couples bid Cid and Edea goodnight and began walking back to their dorms, exhausted. They all talked about the excellent party that had just reached its end. The girls gossiped a bit about the rumors and general whatnot that they'd heard while there, as the guys talked about the game of Blitzball they'd missed. Irvine got an opportunity to pick on Zell, since the match had finally ended 7-4, in favor of the Centra 'Lions', Irvine's team. It seemed like after the three consecutive goals Centra had received, they decided to get serious and play better. The four couples reached their dorms after a few minutes, one by one bidding the others goodnight and retiring to their rooms. Squall and Rinoa where the ones closer to Quistis and Seifer's, so they were the last to walk them to their dorm. 

- _"Hwaah!" _yawned Rinoa, stretching _"__G'night__ guys… See you in the morning… __noon__… or whatever…" _she added, putting her arm around Squall's waist, walking inside their room with him.__

- _"Selphie pulled out a really good one tonight, huh?" _asked Seifer, digging into his pocket for his key-card.__

- _"Always…" _replied Quistis _"She's great at that stuff."_

- _"So," _said Seifer sliding his card into the receptor _"Are you tired?" _he asked raising an eyebrow.__

- _"Not in your life…" _said Quistis grinning mischievously, pushing him into the room.__

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            Later on at night, Quistis was lying in Seifer's arms, under the covers of their double bed. She had her head resting on his chest, laying one palm on it, while he had his arms around her back. They were both sleeping peacefully, oblivious that this was the last carefree moment they'd be spending together for a **very** long time…

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**A/N:** Alrighty, this chapter came out **big**! *Phew* OK, as of the next chapter, we're starting to get to the heart of the plot. No more foolin' around…

_ON THE NEXT CHAPTER OF 'THE BEGINNING, IS THE END, IS THE BEGINNING':_

_The only thing I can say about the next chapter, is that it will be weird. And it will seem out of place. And it will confuse you. But trust me, I have my reasons… _


	5. Chapter 3: Burn the sins away

**A/N:** Another late update… I'm terribly sorry you guys, but things in my life aren't going too well… My best friend's father passed away two days ago and I had to fulfill my terrible duty in standing by her side through the whole thing. Plus, my exams are coming up and the pressure is just getting tighter and tighter every passing day. I hope you can all understand that the updates can't be as often for a short period of time…

On a happier note… This new chapter will, as I've already said, confuse you. Why? Because it takes place during a chronological point **not** defined, the main character in it is **not** named and there is only one spot that is linked to the rest of the story. Which one? You'll have to find out for yourselves. However, I **assure** you that it's relevant to the previous chapters and that the 'mystery' behind it will become unveiled in the future. I'd like to make clear that **I will not answer questions concerning this chapter**. You may freely make your own guesses, but I'll reveal **nothing**. 

Lastly, be warned that this chapter includes a few quite brutal scenes. The material is already rated R, but I felt the need to warn you. If you don't like to read such material, then please don't. That's all.

**_Last chapter summary:_**_ Seifer returned in time for the New Year's party. However, something intriguingly weird happened to him during his mission…_

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                                                                                    **_~*The Beginning, is the End, is the Beginning*~_**

                                                                                                    A sequel to _'Love Conquers All'_

                                                                                                         By: Sickness in Salvation

**                                                                                                   Chapter 3: Burn the sins away**

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* * *

_                                                                                    Sometime, someday, in __Deling__City__…_

            A tall, blond man walked in the dark streets of Deling City. The time was almost two in the morning and the temperature had long passed the stage of being called plain 'chilly'. The man raised the neckline of his long black coat, watching his breath linger in the air in a small cloud of steam. It was by far the coldest winter Galbadia had ever witnessed. It still hadn't snowed, but the weather was too damn freezing… It had been raining for quite some time before and the atmosphere was now 'clean', although somewhat foggy. 

            The man heard the clatter of his black boots on the wet sidewalk, as he traced his steps outside a lavish residence. He stopped right at the entrance, taking a look around him, to check if anyone had been following him. To his relief, the streets were deserted. Not even criminals were in the mood to come out, in such a cold, wintry night **_'Just one…' _**thought the man. The blond walked a bit closer to the grand mansion before him and examined it closely. Some lights were still on, even at this hour. 

            The man sighed and leaned against the wall, part of the stone fence guarding the perimeter of the building. He dug his hand in his pocket and retrieved a pack of cigarettes. He lifted it upside down, making the small black lighter inside, drop onto his palm. He took out a cigarette and lit it, taking a long drag of smoke right through his lungs. It was exceptionally strange how a cloud of nothing but toxic smoke could liven up a person, but at the cost of slowly, yet steadily draining one's energy and life resources. The blond closed his eyes and exhaled the smoke, resting his head against the stone wall behind him. He had already gone through three cigarettes when the last light of the mansion was switched off. He threw the cigarette on the ground, putting out the smoldering butt with his boot. He slid his hand down his pocket once again, only this time he took out a pair of black leather gloves. He slipped his fingers through them and turned around to face the wall.

- _"Time to get to business…" _he said, in a voice just above a whisper. 

            The tall blond jumped up the wall fence, grabbing the top ledge. He rested his foot up against a slightly prominent rock, aiding himself up. With a slight amount of difficulty, he crawled up the ledge of the wall, resting with his stomach on it; he had to be careful not to be seen by anyone. Luckily, his almost all-black outfit allowed him to be camouflaged enough at night. He scouted across the grand yard of the mansion, spotting a pair of guards right outside the entrance **_'Well… I couldn't expect this to be TOO easy…' _**he thought. He looked down from the ledge he had climbed upon and saw he was standing right above some bushes **_'Convenient enough, but it's gonna be kinda tricky to remain silent…' _**Carefully, he moved about the wall, slowly letting his body slide down. He suspended from the ledge, holding it with both hands. He bowed his head down, looking for a clear spot to land upon. When he found one, he shimmied across the ledge and let go of his hands. He landed as quietly as possible on the bare grass, swiftly hiding behind one bush. The leaves rumored a bit though, catching the guards' attention. The two Galbadian soldiers stirred, looking down at the bushes, where the slight noise had come from. 

- _"Did you hear that?" _asked one of them.

- _"Yeah. Right behind those bushes down there…"_ said the other.

- _"Are you gonna go check it, or should I?" _asked the first.

- _"Stay put over here. I'll go…" _said the second, preparing his gunblade.

            The guard left his position, cautiously walking down the grass yard, over to the bushes. He held his gunblade tightly, steadily raising it as he approached the spot where the blond man hid. He stopped moving about nine feet away, slipping his finger through the trigger and raising his weapon towards the bush.

- _"Is anyone there?" _he asked, but got no answer. 

            He decided to get closer. Almost soundlessly, he stepped over carefully, until he was only three feet away. He asked the same question again, getting no answer once more. He was starting to think it had probably been just the wind or something, but he had to make sure. He walked even closer to the bush and carefully leaned over. To his great surprise, he found the young blond lying on the grass, smirking at him.

- _"Hi." _said the tall blond grinning.

            The soldier's eyes grew wide open and he got ready to attack the boy in front of him. But he proved to have much quicker reflexes than him. The blond pulled a knife out of the side of his right boot, swiftly throwing it at the soldier. The blade of the small dagger found the man square between the eyes, killing him on the spot. Many feet away, the other soldier saw his colleague's body fall lifeless on the grass. He jolted up in surprise, getting ready to run inside and hit the alarm. Behind the bush, the blond didn't lose any time getting up as soon as he'd killed the first guard. He slipped his hand under his left armpit, pulling out a black pistol. Hardly aiming at all, he shot the other guard from the distance on the back of the head, right as he opened the door. The silencer on the nozzle of the gun did a good job in muting the sound of the shot. When the second soldier was down as well, the blond lowered his pistol down, tranquilly. He blew the smoking barrel of the gun with an impassive expression on his face and put it back in place

            He glanced around the yard, trying to spot anyone else. When he made sure the area was clear, he looked down at the rigid body of the soldier he'd killed first. He bent down next to him, pulling the dagger out of his skull. A boil-disturbing sound was heard as the cold blade slipped through bone and flesh, coming out of the, now gushing, fatal wound on the guard's forehead. Rivulets of blood came trickling down his face, giving an ever more grotesque appearance on the dead man's pale skin. The blond didn't even wince at the sight, just wiped the blood-stained knife clean on the guard's uniform. When it was spotless, he rose it up and examined it, tracing the cutting edge with one finger. He rode it all the way up to the tip, where he felt a slight sting. He pulled it back, and noticed a small pearl of deep red blood shining on his index finger **_'Pointy…' _**he thought. He licked his fingertip, slipping the dagger back in place on the side of his right boot. 

            He grabbed the body from the armpits, dragging it right behind the bush. He left it there, not bothering to hide it all too well. Subtlety was never his specialty anyway… He tilted his neck from side to side, feeling that a cracking sensation relieving his soreness. He slowly walked over towards the entrance to the manor, where the second dead person on his body count list lay. He merely kicked it out of the way onto a rose bush on the side of the doorsteps, and marched inside the house, pushing open the door which so far stood ajar. 

            Determinedly, he walked towards the wooden stairway which led up to the second floor of the mansion. He heard the steps creak under the weight of his body as he ascended towards the door visible right at the top of the stair. He kept his eyes and ears peeled for any sound or sign of movement, looking around him skeptically. He reached the top of the stairway and glanced to his left and right **_'Just darkness…'_** he thought. He eyed the rest of the doors spread around the hallway of the second floor. The one he was looking for though was right in front of him. He slowly moved his right hand onto the handle of the door. However, as soon as he touched it, a figure leaped out of the shadows, landing right onto his back.

            The person, who had obviously been guarding the door but heard him come inside, wrapped his right arm around the blonde's neck, blocking his air pathway. The young man lost no time and grabbed the man's hand across his throat, aiming to pry him off. The guard was persistent enough though, hence didn't seem eager to let go. The blond struggled for breath as he tried to escape the man's grip. When he realized the soldier was stronger than him, he decided it was time to use other tactics. He threw his legs up in the air, pushing his weight forward. When he landed back on his feet, he ducked and dexterously threw the guard off his back, flying on mid-air, until he saw his stomach make hard contact with the floor. The guard quickly stood back up, but the blond was already behind him. With one fierce movement, he grabbed the sides of his head, abruptly turning it to one side, thus breaking the man's neck. Third in a row, the soldier fell heavy onto the floor in a loud thud **_'The President must have heard that…' _**the blond thought, cracking his knuckles. He slid over to the left side of the door, sticking his back right against the wall.

            As expected, he heard footsteps coming from inside the room. The doorknob wiggled, turned, clicked and the door opened. Out came a puzzled-looking man. He poked his head out of the door, looking to his right and left.

- _"__Jefferson__?" _he asked confused _"Is everything alright? I heard a…" _he began, but never finished his sentence.

            The blond had already rushed over to him, grabbing him from the shirt of his pajamas. He lifted him off his feet and pulled him inside the room. The thin, pale man seemed terrified by the tall blond holding him threateningly.

- _"Help!" _he cried out _"Someone help me!"_

- _"No use…" _spoke the blond with a smirk on his face _"I've wasted them all…"_

            He threw the man onto the air, sending him crashing onto the bottom left corner of the room. The thin man winced, groaned in pain and trembling, he turned around to take another look at his attacker.

- _"W-w-who… are y-y-you…? Your face… s-s-seems f-familiar…" _the man stuttered, touching his bleeding lip with two fingers.

- _"It does, doesn't it?" _asked the blond rhetorically, with a grin _"Either way, take a good look at it, as it's the last face you'll ever see…"_ he said, moving his hand under his long black coat, to the side of his pants.

- _"No! Wait!"_ snapped the man, panicked _"J-j-just… tell me what you want from me…"_

            The tall blond smirked. He walked over to his victim in a sinister way, making him squirm anxiously around the corner he stood against. He stopped about three feet away from him and let out a laugh. 

- _"The only thing I want from you…" _he said, slippinghis hand back to the left side of his pants _"…'Mr. President'…"_ he added in a mocking tone, placing a gloved hand onto the grip _"…is…" _he continued, slowly slipping his gunblade out of its case tied on his left leg _"…your life." _he said finally, holding the blade on one hand, pointing the tip towards the man on the floor.

            The President's eyes grew wide in terror. The whole scene happened in slow motion; the blonde's eyes glistened dangerously as he tightened his grasp on the gunblade handle, moving it upwards. The President felt the ever-so-sharp tip of the weapon slash across the skin on his face, jerking it to the upper right. Blood sprayed the walls behind, the curtains and the blonde's clothes. The man screamed in pain, holding his bleeding face with one hand. The tall blond, examined his clothes, holding his coat with one hand.

- _"I really like that coat… You'd better watch where your blood sprays upon…" _he said, eyeing the man murderously.

            He raised his gunblade, sending it down on the President's body this time. He slashed and slashed incessantly, going literally berserk. The man's screams drove him even madder, making his breaths faster and deeper. He hit and hit non-stop, his eyes shimmering like emerald green fire. When the President could barely move, he stopped. He ran a gloved hand through his fair hair, still breathing heavily. He looked down upon his victim. The man was now completely disfigured; a deep gash ran across his sallow face, while blood trickled from it, making an antithesis of deep red and pale yellow. His clothes were now completely ripped and soaking red in front, while long, profound cuts were visible on his chest. He was shaking in spasms, while his breath could barely be heard. His life was literally hanging from a thin piece of thread… The blond didn't seem the least bit disturbed by the sight. He casually dug the gunblade tip on the wooden floor, resting both his hands and his weight on the top of the handle. 

- _"Any last words?" _he asked coldly. The President coughed blood in response _"Speak up. I can't hear you." _he said sarcastically. More blood gushed and trickled from the man's mouth _"Alright then…" _said the blond shrugging _"I was only trying to be nice…"_

            He pushed himself backwards slightly, grabbing the handle with his right hand. He stuck it out from the tiny hole it had created on the floor and rose it back up towards the President. He pulled the cock back and aimed.

- _"Goodbye…" _said the blond, pulling the trigger.

            A loud bang was heard and from the barrel of the gunblade, as a silver bullet came rushing out. It slipped through the air, cutting it, eventually finding its target on the President's face. A new small round wound now formed right between his eyes, terminating his life instantly. His head shot backwards when the bullet made contact with his skull, then tilted lifeless on one side. The blond wiped a rogue droplet of blood that had spluttered on the corner of his left eyebrow and took a deep breath. He spent some time carefully examining his victim. He didn't seem to be the least bit repulsed by the sight. On the contrary, an expression of ultimate relief had now spread across his face. 

            Deciding he'd stalled enough, the blond turned around and walked over to a full-body mirror standing next to the wardrobe of the President's bedroom. He took a good look at himself. His clothes were pretty much stained with the red vital liquid, but there wasn't much he could do about it. His face also bore spots and drops of blood. He walked over to an open door inside the room, from where the bathroom was visible. He blindly looked around for the light switch for a few seconds, then flicked it on. He rested his gunblade against the wall and took off his leather gloves, placing them next to the sink. He turned the tap on, letting the water flow, then cupping some on his palms and washing his face clean. Without bothering to wipe the water droplets dry, he wore his gloves and exited the bathroom.                                                         

            The man walked back inside the room, running a hand through his fair hair. He glared at the body of the President lying motionless in front of him and fell deep in thought for a few moments. He slipped his weapon back in its case and kneeled down next to his victim. He grabbed the man's wrists with one hand and carefully hung the thin body on his right shoulder. He held his legs with his right arm and slowly walked out of the bedroom. Considering the fact that the man was pretty thin and the blond was quite well built, the latter didn't have much difficulty to walk easily.

            The blond walked down the stairs to the pitch dark entrance hallway. He walked outside the door, which still stood ajar and strode down the front yard. Halfway down, he stopped and looked around. With his left hand, he removed his gunblade from its case, rose it up in the air and pulled the trigger once.

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            A loud, banging sound was heard all over the block, breaking the complete silence of the cold night. The silver bullet pierced the air and got lost in the dark night sky. Immediately, the blond broke into a run.  Upon reaching the entrance, he came face to face with a couple of soldiers. He pried them off, swinging his gunblade at them and ran into the streets. Many people living nearby had heard the gunshot and had barged outside the balconies to see what was going on. A couple of old ladies had even come out to the street. 

            The tall blond sprinted down the street, passing right in front of them. The two women caught a pretty good glimpse of him and looked at each other in awe. The blond kept running, hearing shouts from people calling for help, car wheels screeching and a far away siren ringing.  He came to a stop in the main avenue of Deling City, looking around worriedly. Right then, a black mini-van rushed over to him, halting right in front. The back doors of the van spread open and the blond jumped inside, with the body still clutched underneath his right arm.

- _"Drive!" _he said breathlessly, once inside.

            The man driving in the front sped off, soon leaving the central avenue behind, heading towards the outskirts of the city. Inside the van, the blond dropped the body of the President on the floor and sat down on one of the benches. He wiped his sweaty forehead and took a deep breath, looking around.

            The small van had two wooden benches, one on each side. On the left one, the now exhausted blond was sitting, trying to catch his breath. On the right one, sat two men dressed in uniforms which resembled the Galbadian ones, only they were black. Right in front of them, the body of the President lay rigid. On the driver's seat, another man was sitting, dressed similarly to the others.

            The two men in the back kneeled down next to the dead body, examining it. They both wore rubber gloves, so as not to leave any fingerprints behind. When they were satisfied by their examination, they both turned up to the blond.

- _"Good job…" _said one of them.

- _"Did anyone see you?" _asked the other.

- _"Didn't you hear the uproar back there?" _asked the blond. 

- _"Good."_ replied the man, surprisingly.

- _"We should be arriving at the mansion anytime now…" _said the other, looking outside the window.

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            The black mini-van reached a luxurious mansion on the outskirts of Deling City. The driver pressed a button on the gateway, still inside the car. A voice came through the intercom, as someone inside heard their call.

- _"It's us. Open up." _said the driver.

            Immediately, the gates opened and the mini-van advanced on the stone path which led any vehicles to the entrance of the building, going through the impressive gardens. The vehicle stopped right in front of the entrance, where two soldiers, also dressed in black, were standing. The driver got out first, closely followed by the three people boarding the back of the van. The two soldiers carried the President's dead body, –now wrapped inside a black, plastic, morgue bag- holding it from the feet and armpits and walked inside the mansion. The tall blonde came out last from the three, holding his gunblade in one hand, while running the other through his hair. The two soldiers waiting outside the now open doors shot him weird glares as his clothes were covered in blood. The blond ignored them, following suit in walking inside the luxurious building.

            The four passengers of the mini-van made their way up the stairway in the Hall of the mansion. They reached the second floor and ignoring many rooms they passed by, stopped in front of a pair of doors. The driver knocked and when he heard a muffled 'Come in' from inside, opened the doors. The room they walked inside was probably some sort of study. Many similarly dressed soldiers were gathered inside, while a man who appeared to be some sort of leader was sitting on an armchair behind the desk in the middle of the room. Upon seeing the quartet, -or rather quintet, if you counted a dead man…- his lips upturned into a smile. The tall blond who came in last, closed the door behind him. 

            The ones carrying the dead body dropped it onto the carpet.

- _"I presume that everything went as planned…?" _asked the man behind the desk.

- _"Of course…" _answered the driver _"What do you take us for? Amateurs?"_

- _"Zip it open."_ ordered the first. 

            The two men carrying the body so far pulled down the bag's zipper. Almost everyone inside the room winced and covered their mouths and noses from the smell of the corpse, now at the dawn of decay and disintegration.

- _"*Cough* *Cough* Good job… *Cough*" _said the leader, turning to look at the tall blonde.

            The latter, who was now resting with his back against the wall, didn't turn to look at him, just lowered his head and spoke.

- _"Thank you."_ he said, while his facial features frowned.

- _"Don't tell me you're starting to feel all guilty now lassie?" _asked the leader chuckling.

- _"No." _replied the blond, now frowning in anger, turning to look at the leader _"I'm just anxious to change from this disgusting… 'attire'."_

- _"Go ahead. Your job is done for today."_ suggested the leader.

- _"Thank you Kuja…" _the tall blond mumbled, walking out of the room.

            The leader, obviously named Kuja something, turned his attention back to the corpse, now held by the armpits from the two men who'd carried it inside.

- _"Where do you want him?"_ asked one of them.

- _"Right on that corner, by the window." _replied Kuja, pointing at the upper left corner of the room.

            The two men dragged the corpse, with the bag still around its waist and legs, towards the designated spot. They let him rest his back on the corner, while carefully removing the black bag off him.

- _"Yes, right there…" _said Kuja _"Now, make sure the environment looks… convincing. When you're done, come down to the living room so we can leave this place." _he added, walking out of the room, closely followed by all the other soldiers gathered there.

            __

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            The tall blond walked inside a room on the second floor. He still had some time to kill (A/N: No pun intended :-) ) before the others were done and they would have to leave the mansion. He desperately needed a bath and a change of clothes. He took off his long black trench coat, resting it on the bed. He walked inside the bathroom and began undressing. He took out his white and red T-shirt first, then his boots and finally his black leather pants. He stretched a bit, feeling his body sore and removed his black boxers as well.

            He was just about to step into the shower, when he noticed his reflection on the big mirror on the wall, above the sinks. He turned around and walked towards the sinks. He rested his palms on the counter and studied his reflection. A tall, well-built body, a head full of blond locks and a pair of green eyes was what looked back at him. His expression was that of hurt, confusion and guilt. He raised one hand from the counter and began tracing his face. His fingers stopped right between his two emerald green eyes. His fingertip came across a big scar right on that spot. A scar that began from the middle of his lower forehead, going right down across the upper end of his nose. 

            Tears filled the young man's eyes and as he shut them, they trickled down his cheeks, burning them like acid. The man let out a sob and landed his fist straight onto the mirror before him, cracking it. Blood came gashing out of the newly formed wound on his right hand. Through clenched teeth, he took a deep breath and looked at the reflection once again. Still blond hair and green eyes as facial features, only somehow different this time, distorted from the cracked mirror. Or maybe not…  

            The blonde walked inside the shower stall and turned the knob to hot, hoping that the burning water falling on pale skin, would burn the sins away as well… 

            

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**A/N:** I believe the words you might be looking for are: What the hell?!

_ON THE NEXT CHAPTER OF 'THE BEGINNING, IS THE END, IS THE BEGINNING':_

_The morning peace in __Balamb__Garden__ is abruptly broken by terrible news…_

_Let the main storyline begin…_


	6. Chapter 4: Run Seifer, Run

**A/N:** Hey there… *Grins* I expected no different reviews from you guys… Confused, huh? Well, the weird thing would be if you **weren't**. I wrote this chapter with the **intention** of making it perplexed. OK, so I **know** I said I wouldn't comment on anything, but I will say this: **No-one** got it right. Honestly. I'd be surprised if anyone **did** get it, because it's not something you can deduce from this chapter alone. Unless of course you have a **tremendously** wild imagination. I will drop hints in other chapters that will slowly unveil the mystery (man, I'm so full of it! ^_^), but they won't be **that** noticeable. On a final note, I would like to congratulate **one** person, who got **very** close at some point. And that's **FantasyWolf**. You observed something I knew not many would 'catch'. But you missed something else. Either way, well done!

Now… The next chapter takes us back to where we stopped in chapter 2. Enjoy!

Anyway, in conclusion, I'd like to say to all of you a great big thanks for reviewing. And also that your guesses were in a really good path. Let's wait and see who will spot the hints that will be lying around in other chapters… ^_^

**_Last chapter summary:_**_ A mysterious man commits a murder in __Deling__City__…_

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                                                                                    **_~*The Beginning, is the End, is the Beginning*~_**

                                                                                                    A sequel to _'Love Conquers All'_

                                                                                                         By: Sickness in Salvation

**                                                                                          Chapter 4: Run Seifer, Run**

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            The continent of Balamb was known, among other things, for its warm climate. The mild fall and winter were always followed by a refreshing spring and a hot summer. One could easily deduce so, from the plains spreading around its surface, which remained a shade of bright green throughout the entire year. However, this year the winter had been very cold, just like in every other continent. For the first time in decades, snow had fallen on those bright green plains, creating an image picturesque beyond imagination. The first snowflakes had made their appearance in mid-December and by now, the scenery all around Balamb Garden had turned pearly white. 

            It was now the first day of the New Year. And it was definitely one that seemed to be a good omen of the three hundred and sixty five more days to follow, as its beauty filled the atmosphere. The first morning light appeared at about six a.m. A glorious amber sun cast the first rays of light upon the white snow, making it glimmer like gold-dust. The freezing weather rendered the natural environment in lethargy, nevertheless granting it with an 'arctic' sort of charm. The very few birds that were able to survive the cold and hadn't immigrated to the south brought the place into life by their soft chirping. Yes, it was indeed a beautiful morning from every aspect and certainly a good omen for what was to come. Or was it?

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            Squall had buried himself underneath the covers of his and Rinoa's double bed. His strong arms were engulfing his beautiful raven-haired lover, holding her close to him, as if protecting her. Rinoa's jet-black locks were spread around her pillow and her face was resting on Squall's shoulder, sending her soft, steady breaths right onto his bare chest. They were both sound asleep; the exhaustion from last night's party was more than enough to help them drift to sleep in a matter of seconds. Their room was dimly lit by the very first morning sun rays, which came filtered through the curtain fabric. The only sound inside the -otherwise completely silent- room was the sound of two breaths, rhythmically following one another.

            Not much time passed before the muteness of the room broke, by a piercing ringing sound. It wasn't until the fourth ringing though, that one of them heard it. Squall groaned slightly, as Rinoa squirmed inside his arms. She let out an annoyed grunt and turned over to the other side, covering herself up completely. Squall turned around as well, cracking one eye open with difficulty. His steel blue orb caught glimpse of the clock positioned right across him on the nightstand. 6:07 **_'C'mon!' _**he thought **_'Gimme a break… I haven't even slept for two hours…'_** Lazily, his hand traveled onto the nightstand, looking for the source of their abrupt awakening. Eventually his palm enclosed the small black telephone contraption and he tiredly brought it over to his ear.

- _"Hello…?" _he said sleepily.

- _"Squall? This is Headmaster Cid." _came Cid's voice through the receiver. He sounded somewhat upset _"I'm terribly sorry to wake you up, but this is an emergency."_

- _"What's wrong sir?" _asked Squall, slightly awakening from the worry in Cid's voice. He sat up on his bed, rubbing his eyes open.

- _"I can't really discuss this through the phone. It's about the disappearance of the President in Deling. I need you to come up to my office ASAP." _replied Cid.

- _"Affirmative. I'll be up there immediately." _said Squall, trying not to sound reluctant, hanging up the phone.

            He rested the phone back on the nightstand and rubbed his neck **_'Sometimes I REALLY hate this job…'_** he thought **_'But it sounded pretty serious… Better get up there…'_** He sighed deeply and gently flung the covers off his body, getting up from the bed. The mattress slightly sprang up as his weight left it, making Rinoa stir and turn back around. She barely opened her eyes and saw Squall putting his, discarded on the floor, boxers on. He stretched his arms and stumbled over to the bathroom, accidentally tripping over Angelo who let out a whiny bark.

- _"Squall?" _Rinoa said weakly, now fully awakened by her dog's voice. Squall turned around, facing her _"What time is it?" _she asked.

- _"It's still very early Rin, go back to sleep…" _he replied.

- _"Why are you up?"_ she asked, yawning deeply.

- _"__Cid__ called. Something urgent has come up." _

- _"What?" _

- _"I dunno yet. I'm going up to the office right now to find out."_

- _"Want me to come?" _she asked, praying his answer would be 'No'. 

- _"No babe, it's OK. You should get some sleep."_

- _"K…" _said Rinoa, turning back around.

            Before Squall had even reached the bathroom door, his girlfriend was already back to sleep. He walked inside the bathroom, towards the sink and turned the tap on. He cupped some water inside his palms and dipped his face in it. The refreshing liquid slightly helped him awaken, but he still felt his head pounding like crazy. He walked back inside the room and opened the wardrobe, taking out his usual battle gear. He lazily slipped his slender legs through the leather pants, taking some time to buckle both his belts. He grinned as he remembered Rinoa first seeing him do that; she was so confused on how he created that weird complexion with his belts -just like everyone else-… Squall proceeded in wearing his white T-shirt and leather jacket. He grabbed his Lionheart from its shiny case, suspending the crystal-blue blade from his belts. He walked over to the bed, gave Rinoa a kiss on the forehead, covered her up and walked out of the room, grabbing his cell-phone from the nightstand.

                                                                                    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            The Balamb Garden corridors were completely empty at this hour. Squall strode down the hallways inhaling the chilly clear air or the morning. He had awakened fully by now, although he couldn't help but feel extremely tired. He finally reached the entrance Hall and swiftly walked up the stairs to the elevator. He pressed the button calling the elevator and patiently waited outside. The doors eventually opened and the young brown-haired Commander walked inside, pressing the button to the 3rd floor. The elevator booth ascended two floors and reached the last one. Squall stepped outside and hurried over to Cid's office. He gently knocked on the door and when he heard Cid's voice from inside, he entered.

            He found Xu and Cid waiting for him inside, both looking very upset. Squall walked over to Cid's desk and saluted him. Cid motioned to him to sit down.

- _"I'm glad you could make it Squall. And once again, I'm really sorry I had to wake you up at this hour." _said the Headmaster.

- _"Don't mention it sir. What's the situation?" _asked Squall.__

- _"__President __Connelly__ was found dead in his holiday mansion just about an hour ago." _replied Xu.__

- _"What?!"_ asked Squall, his eyes shooting wide open _"Did he commit suicide?"_

- _"No. It was murder." _said Cid seriously.__

                                                                                    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Quistis was lying on Seifer's broad chest. She had one hand resting on it, while Seifer held her close with one arm, resting the other on the mattress. A loud, firm knock on their door disturbed their sleep. Seifer groaned and stirred in indignation, cursing, anyone who thought it was a good idea to wake them up like that, under his breath. Quistis slowly got up from him, barely opening her eyes. 

- _"Dammit… Shut… the fuck… up…" _mumbled Seifer sleepily. The knocks were getting more and more persistent.

- _"I'll go…" _said Quistis getting up.__

            Seifer rolled on the bed, lying on his stomach, covering his head with the pillow. Quistis sat up on the edge of the bed, picking up Seifer's deep green shirt from the floor.

- _"I'm coming already!" _she shouted to the person knocking on their door.

            She slid her arms through the sleeves of the shirt, buttoned it, then grabbed her underwear from the floor and put them on as well. She stumbled to the door, rubbing her eyes open. She answered the door, finding herself facing Selphie and Irvine.

- _"What?" _she whined sleepily.

- _"What took you so long?!" _said Selphie barging inside their room, closely followed by Irvine.__

- _"**Maybe** we were fucking **SLEEPING**!" _yelled Seifer sarcastically, rolling over on the bed again, facing them.__

- _"Well get up! We've got a situation!" _said Selphie putting her hands on her hips.__

- _"What's wrong?" _asked Quistis yawning deeply.__

- _"We all got called up on Cid's office. He'll explain fully there." _said Irvine.__

- _"C'mon! Get up already!" _Selphie said to Seifer.__

- _"This had better be good Messenger-girl, or I swear to Hyne, I'll have your head…" _said Seifer sitting up on the bed.__

- _"Oh it's **good** alright…" _replied Selphie crossing her arms _"__President __Connelly__ was found dead this morning."_

- _"What?!" _said Quistis and Seifer in unison.__

- _"Murder. Now c'mon. Hurry up…" _said Irvine.__

- _"OK, OK…" _said Seifer rubbing his hair _"Quis? Where are my…?" _he asked, looking around the floor.__

- _"Here." _said Quistis tossing him his boxers.__

            Seifer grabbed the garment, putting it on underneath the covers. He got up from bed, walking over to the wardrobe were Quistis was already looking for clothes. Seifer began looking for his as well, when he noticed that Selphie and Irvine were still there.

- _"What, are you gonna watch?" _he asked raising an eyebrow.

- _"Just go to the bathroom and get on with it!" _said Irvine exasperated.

            The couple walked inside the bathroom, holding their clothes.

- _"And no funny business in there!" _yelled Selphie as the door closed behind them.

            Five minutes later, Seifer and Quistis emerged from inside, fully dressed.

- _"All set?"_ asked Irvine. The pair nodded, grabbing their weapons _"Let's go." _

                                                                        *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            The quartet made their way up to the 3rd floor, heading over to Cid's office. They knocked and entered, finding Squall, Xu, Cid and Zell already inside.

- _"Good… We're all gathered now…" _said Cid. 

            Seifer noticed that his glance lingered onto him a bit longer. His face had an expression of mixed worry, pity and sorrow, which made Seifer intrigued on what he was about to hear.

- _"Please sit down…" _added Cid, motioning to the chairs in front of him.

- _"They told us about the President. What happened?" _asked Seifer immediately after sitting down.

- _"They found him on his holiday mansion this morning. He was pretty much… disfigured…" _said Xu, with a disgusted expression on her face.

- _"What, did they sent you a picture or something?" _Seifer asked Xu jokingly, smirking.

- _"Actually, yes." _replied Xu, catching him off guard _"It came along with the e-mail we received. Wanna see it?" _she asked sarcastically, smirking herself.

- _"Better not…" _said Zell, adopting a similar expression like Xu's previous one.

- _"Nah, that's OK…" _said Seifer shrugging, extending his arm towards Xu.

            Xu raised an eyebrow. She reached over to the desk and grabbed a piece of paper, handing it to Seifer. Seifer took it and glanced at it, as Quistis leaned over his shoulder to look at it as well. Seifer's eyes widened up at the sight, while Quistis turned away repulsed. 

- _"Oh my Hyne…" _she said, touching her stomach.

- _"Take it…" _said Seifer, handing the paper back to Xu.

- _"Who would do such a horrible thing?"_ asked Quistis, as Selphie and Irvine snatched the paper from Xu's hands, looking at it themselves.

- _"EW!" _exclaimed Selphie, leaving the picture on the desk, disgusted.

- _"They've sent us a draft sketch of the man recognized as the culprit by some soldiers and citizens." _said Cid.

- _"Do we know him?" _asked Irvine.

- _"We… might…" _replied Cid, feeling uneasy.

- _"Well… Can we see the sketch? Who is it?" _asked Seifer.

- _"Believe __me.__" _said Squall quickly _"Of **all** the people, **you** don't want to see it…"_

- _"Why the hell not?" _asked Seifer raising an eyebrow _"Is it someone I know?"_

            Xu, Squall, Zell and Cid looked at each other. Squall gave them a meaningful glare, to which Xu shrugged and Cid turned back towards the window.

- _"Can't hide it forever… We might as well show it to him…" _said Zell.

- _"What's going on here?" _asked Seifer suspiciously.

- _"Seifer, where were you the night before New Year's?" _asked Squall.

- _"I had a mission. You **know **that. What the heck does it have to do with anything?" _asked Seifer frowning.

- _"What time did you leave to go back to your hotel?" _asked Xu.

- _"I dunno…" _said Seifer shrugging _"About two after __midnight__. Why?" _

- _"Where did you go afterwards?" _asked Zell.

- _"To my hotel! What's with all the questions?! What the hell does it have to do with the President?!" _Seifer asked exasperated.

- _"Everything…" _said Squall, handing him the sketch.

            Seifer indignantly snatched the paper from Squall's hand and looked down on it. For the second time in five minutes, Seifer's eyes shot wide open as well as Quistis', Selphie's and Irvine's. The sketch Seifer was holding in his hands, showed the young man who had supposedly murdered the President. He seemed to be about twenty, with light-colored hair and eyes and strict facial characteristics. Across his forehead and more specifically between his eyes, a scar was visible. The notes right next to the sketch read that the man had blond hair, green eyes, he was tall and well-built and wore a long black trench coat with two red crosses emblazoned on the sleeves. The supposed murderer looked awfully like…

- _"…Me…" _said Seifer faintly, feeling thunderstruck.

- _"What nonsense is this?!" _Quistis angrily asked Squall.

- _"Seifer… Is there something we need to know?" _asked Cid, crossing his arms.

- _"Are you implying that you think **I **killed __President __Connelly__?!" _asked Seifer furiously, narrowing his eyes.

- _"My dear boy, as much as I'd like to consider this sketch a **really** bad joke, I can't. I need to hear your alibi." _said Cid.

- _"I told you just before! I went straight to my hotel!" _said Seifer. 

- _"Is there anyone who can confirm that?" _asked Squall.

- _"Not really…"_ said Seifer rubbing his chin _"The damn clerk was asleep on his desk when I came back…"  _

            Everyone but Quistis gave him a weird disbelieving glare.

- _"It's not **my** fault!" _said Seifer looking at their expressions _"What? Don't you believe me?" _

- _"We'd really like to…" _said Cid.

- _"Quis?! You too?!"_ asked Seifer, turning over to Quistis.

- _"Of course I believe you!" _said Quistis feeling slightly offended that the thought had even crossed his mind.

- _"Seifer, we **all** want to believe you. But the facts…" _began Xu.

- _"I didn't do it!" _Seifer yelled.

- _"Then explain to me how you got recognized as the culprit!" _said Cid.

- _"I **DON'T **know!" _replied Seifer exasperated.

            Silence fell into the room as Cid sighed deeply. Seifer touched his forehead with one hand, as Quistis rubbed his shoulder, trying to comfort him.

- _"Hey…" _began Selphie at some point _"Didn't you tell us last night that someone attacked you in Deling?!" _she exclaimed.

- _"Oh yeah!" _said Irvine _"We told you to report it and you said you'd do so as soon as you got called up to the bridge for your full mission report."_

- _"Who attacked you?" _asked Squall raising an eyebrow.

- _"I dunno," _replied Seifer shaking his head _"It happened when I was going to the station to catch my train. Someone I didn't manage to see, pulled me into an alley in broad daylight and rendered me unconscious with chloroform."_

- _"Then what?" _asked Cid intrigued.

- _"I woke up a few hours later on the same alley. Nothing was stolen or misplaced and I didn't have any bruises of any sort on my body." _said Seifer.

- _"That's odd…" _said Xu creasing her forehead.

- _"Why didn't you report it immediately?" _asked Squall.

- _"Because I got back here right at the countdown to the New Year. I didn't get a chance to." _answered Seifer.

- _"That's gotta be linked to the President's case somehow…" _said Zell.

- _"I don't see in what way…" _said Squall _"The autopsy declared the President's death time on the night before. Seifer said this happened to him yesterday." _

- _"But it's suspicious anyway…" _said Quistis.

- _"Yeah, but I can't see a connection with the President's murder." _replied Squall _"If you've got **any** idea on how they could link to each other, please **do** share …"_ Quistis didn't respond. She couldn't. Nothing made sense.

- _"How was the President killed?" _asked Seifer suddenly.

- _"With a blade of some sort." _replied Xu _"They identified the cuts as gunblade cuts and also found a bullet right between his eyes. It belongs to a Hyperion model."_

- _"Well I'm not the **only** one who carries a Hyperion gunblade!" _said Seifer.

- _"True, but all the facts add up to you." _said Cid.

- _"I believe he's innocent." _said Selphie popping in _"What happened to him is **way** too suspicious not to be connected to the murder."_

- _"But h-" _began Squall.

- _"We **don't** know **how** Squall, but we believe Seifer." _Irvine said interrupting him.

- _"Thanks…" _mumbled Seifer.

- _"Look, I don't believe he'd do it either, but he needs a damn alibi!" _said Squall exasperated.

- _"You've got a really weird way of showing it…" _Quistis spat at him sarcastically.

- _"**Don't** try and make me the bad guy in here Quistis!" _said Squall, pointing a finger at her.

- _"Yeah, I guess that always has to be **my **part, doesn't it?" _asked Seifer bitterly.

- _"Hyne dammit, I **believe** you!" _said Squall getting up _"But give me an alibi for the damn Galbadians that will show up any time now!"_

- _"Galbadians are coming here?"_ asked Quistis.

- _"Yes. They're sending some officials over to question Seifer." _replied Cid. 

- _"When?" _asked Seifer.

- _"Any moment now…" _replied Xu.

- _"Are they going to… arrest him?" _asked Quistis, afraid of the answer she was about to hear.

- _"If they find him guilty, yes." _said Squall.

- _"W-w-well what can we do?" _asked Quistis, starting to panic.

- _"Us? Nothing. All **he** can do is give them an alibi that acquits him of any charges." _said Squall pointing at Seifer.

- _"I don't have one. I've told you everything there is to know…" _said Seifer shaking his head.

- _"Then lie!" _said Quistis frantically.

- _"Quis, you know that will get me into ever more trouble…" _said Seifer looking at her.

- _"But they **can't** take you away!" _said Quistis, her eyes beginning to water.

- _"It'll be OK…" _said Seifer, holding her hand.

            Just then, a buzzing sound was heard on Cid's intercom. Cid walked over to his desk, pressing a button on the intercom.

- _"Yes?" _he said.

- _"Sir, three Galbadian officials are here requesting to see you." _said a voice everyone recognized as Mr. Stanford, the old man guarding the Gates.

- _"Let them in __Angus__ and tell them to come up to my office on the 3rd floor." _said Cid.

- _"Alright sir." _said Mr. Stanford, terminating the conversation.

            Cid walked back to his chair and sat down sighing.

- _"They're here…" _he said.

                                                                                    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Three Galbadians strode inside Balamb Garden. The two in their usual blue uniforms, while the man in the middle wore a grey suit. Many heads turned as they passed by the entrance Hall and headed up the stairs. An instant uproar of whispering and guesses on why they were here was triggered. The three officials walked up to the elevator and took it to the 3rd floor. They stepped out and walked over to Cid's office. They knocked and entered immediately. 

- _"Welcome gentlemen…" _said Cid, nodding at the soldiers.

            The three simply nodded back, not saying a word and made their way to the three seats reserved for them in front of Cid's desk. As they walked past Seifer, they shot him poisonous glares, which he returned. Quistis prepared herself mentally for the worst and tightened her grasp on Seifer's hand. He rubbed hers with his thumb, trying to calm her down. Everyone felt really uncomfortable as the air was very heavy inside the small room. And it was about to get heavier…

- _"Cid Kramer, Headmaster of __Balamb__Garden.__" _said Cid, extending his arm to the officials. All of them exchanged a lukewarm handshake worth Cid.

- _"Serj Aldian, Secretary of Justice of Galbadia," _said the man in the suit _"The men on my sides are my aids."_

- _"Pleased to meet you Mr. Aldian," _lied Cid. He was far from glad to have three Galbadians in his office with the intention to condemn one of his best SeeDs _"I believe you're here to question __Seifer__Almasy__?"_ asked Cid. At the sound of these words, Quistis' stomach felt as if it was twisting like mad.

- _"Indeed." _replied Aldian _"He was recognized as the culprit for the murder of __President __Sirius__Connelly__. Normally, we would have arrested him immediately, but the new protocol imposed by former __President __Connelly__ demands an interrogation first."_

- _"I see… You may proceed with the interrogation then." _said Cid.

- _"Do," _began Aldian, looking around the office _"**All** these people have to be present?" _

            Everyone in the room except for Cid shot him angry glares.

- _"These are all top SeeDs. Their presence is important in **any** matter." _replied Cid coolly, making his soldiers all smirk triumphantly.

- _"Very well…" _said Aldian, getting up _"__Mr.__Almasy__, if you please…" _he said, motioning to the chair he was sitting on a few moments ago.

            Seifer looked at Quistis, running a hand through her hair, smiling weakly at her. Quistis felt a tingling sensation as he did so and watched him as he got up from his seat and calmly walked over to the one Aldian had asked him to sit upon. She took a deep breath and fidgeted with her silver necklace -a gift from Seifer on her birthday- in anxiety. When Seifer was ready, Aldian crossed his arms behind his back and looked at Seifer straight in the eyes.

- _"Ready?"_ asked Aldian.

- _"Ready." _replied Seifer, emotionlessly.__

- _"Please state your name, age and occupation for the record." _requested Aldian, as one of his aids took out a small recorder.__

- _"Name: __Seifer__Almasy__, Age: Nineteen, Occupation: Rank-A __Balamb__Garden__ SeeD." _stated Seifer.__

- _"Alright… __Mr.__Almasy__, where were you on the night of December __30th before two__ o' clock, when the President was murdered?"_ asked Aldian.__

- _"Wouldn't that be the **morning **of December _**_31st _**_before two__ o' clock?"_ asked Seifer, smirking. __

This was no time to play smart-ass on the Secretary of Justice, but he just couldn't help it. Aldian raised an eyebrow at that and looked at Seifer through narrowed eyes, gritting his teeth. Behind him, Squall slapped his forehead with one hand, Cid shook his head in disbelief, Quistis bit her bottom lip and shut her eyes frowning, Zell and Xu both rolled their eyes, while Irvine and Selphie shot each other worried looks. Seeing their reactions, Seifer's smirk became even wider; he wasn't going to show the slightest sign of weakness, especially in front of Quistis.

- _"Correct observation…" _said Aldian, breaking the awkward silence.

- _"Thank you." _replied Seifer, never wiping the aforementioned expression off his face.__

- _"Now, if you'll be so kind as to answer my question…" _added Aldian.__

- _"Certainly. In the **morning** of December **31st** before 0200 hours, I was on a mission in Deling Gallery." _answered Seifer.__

- _"Can anyone confirm that?" _asked Aldian.__

- _"__Lucius__Wallace__ from the department of National Defense can confirm it. I was working with him, as his bodyguard." _

- _"Ah, yes…" _replied Aldian, frowning at the sound of Wallace's name. Seifer laughed inwardly **_'Doesn't ANYONE like the guy?' _**he thought _"Where did you go after there?" _asked Aldian.__

- _"I returned to my hotel room." _answered Seifer.__

- _"Which Hotel?" _

- _"'Deling Star'." _said Seifer **_'*Scoff* 'Star' my ass…'_**__

- _"And what evidence do you have of that?" _asked Aldian. Seifer frowned. Things were about to get tough…__

- _"None." _he stated.__

- _"How come?" _asked Aldian sarcastically _"Didn't the receptionist see you return to your room?"_

- _"He was," _Seifer hesitated _"Asleep."_

- _"Asleep?" _said Aldian, arching both his eyebrows _"Excuse me for saying so __Mr.__Almasy__, but this is the most pitiful excuse I've ever heard in my life."_ Seifer felt the blood in his veins begin to boil.__

- _"It's not my fault that the situation took such a ridiculous turn." _he said, narrowing his eyes.__

- _"So… You're saying you have **no** alibi whatsoever to acquit you of the charges of the President's assassination?" _asked Aldian.__

- _"*Pause* No." _said Seifer coldly.__

- _"I see… Why don't we get this over with? Just admit your actions and you have a fair chance of getting away with a life sentence. You can even get out with only a few decades if you behave well in prison." _suggested Aldian. Seifer's face turned burning red in anger.__

- _"I didn't do anything I should be pleading guilty for." _he replied through gritted teeth.__

- _"So you deny that you took **any** part whatsoever in the President's assassination?" _asked the secretary of Justice.__

- _"Exactly." _stated Seifer.__

- _"Very well… I bel-" _Aldian began, but was interrupted by Seifer.__

- _"There **is** something I'd like to state though." _he said.__

- _"What is that?" _asked Aldian.__

- _"On the same day, at about 1300 hours I was attacked and rendered unconscious in __Deling__City__. Nothing was stolen or misplaced when I woke up and I had no marks on me or any signs of corporal violence. I believe that the incident had something to do with the President's murder." _said Seifer.__

- _"What makes you believe that?" _asked Aldian, raising an eyebrow.__

- _"I already told you. Nothing stolen, I wasn't hurt either… Doesn't that sound at all suspicious to you?" _

- _"Are you suggesting something __Mr.__Almasy__?" _

- _"I'm suggesting that I've been framed." _said the blond SeeD.__

- _"By whom?" _asked Aldian.__

- _"That, I do not know." _replied Seifer.__

- _"I see…" _said Aldian, eying Seifer suspiciously _"We'll take that into consideration on your trial, since it's on record. Now if you'll stand up and turn around extending your arms please…" _said Aldian, retrieving a pair of handcuffs from his pocket.__

- _"You're taking him away?!" _said Quistis, jolting up from her seat.__

- _"It's part of the protocol, Miss…?" _said Aldian looking at Quistis with an eyebrow raised.__

- _"Trepe. And you can't arrest him without a trial first!" _said Quistis, crossing her arms.__

- _"I'm afraid you're wrong Quistis…" _said Cid sighing, taking off his glasses.__

            Quistis looked at Cid feeling crestfallen. She then turned her desperate gaze on Seifer, looking straight into his eyes. His usually shimmering jade orbs now looked empty and showed no emotion at all. Aldian's two aids walked over to Seifer's chair and pulled him up from each arm, then turned him around. Aldian clicked the handcuffs open preparing to lock them onto Seifer's wrists. Zell bowed his head down, Selphie winced and her hand shot up on her mouth. Irvine sighed deeply, as he rubbed his girlfriend's arms in comfort. Xu looked at Quistis with sorrow, as the tall red-haired Instructor painfully watched the man she loved being taken away. Cid was rubbing his forehead with one hand, while Squall stared at the sight standing rigid.

- _"Seifer Almasy…" _began Aldian _"…you are being charged with the crime of murder against President Sirius Connelly…" _he said as he handcuffed him _"You have the right to remain silent, as everything you say, can and will be used against you in the court of law."_

            Selphie whimpered and hid her face inside Irvine's chest. The cowboy hugged her tightly, trying not to crack himself. He was able to make it; however, Quistis wasn't…

- _"NO!" _she yelled, her eyes full of newly-formed tears _"This is a mistake! He's innocent!" _

            Seifer didn't phrase a word; he just looked at Quistis' azure eyes, mentally pleading her to stop. Zell walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her. Quistis buried her face in her palms, sobbing uncontrollably.

- _"Take him away." _Aldian ordered his two aids.

- _"No…" _Quistis whimpered between tears. __

            Squall looked at her, feeling his heart sink, for one of the few times in his life. He approached Cid, whispered something in his ear. Cid nodded and Squall walked over to Quistis.

- _"It's OK Zell…" _Squall said to the blond martial artist. Zell nodded and let go of Quistis. Squall held her arm and dragged her out _"Come on…" _he said, following the three Galbadian officials and Seifer outside the office.

 __

                                                                                    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Once outside, Squall and Quistis found the four men waiting outside the elevator. Squall approached them and spoke to Serj Aldian.

- _"Requesting permission to escort __Seifer__Almasy__ off." _he said. Aldian looked at him and then turned over to Quistis.

- _"Both of you?" _he asked. Squall nodded _"Alright…" _

            Seifer turned over and saw Quistis looking at him with eyes red from tears. He gave her a weak smile, which she returned. The elevator doors opened and the two aids guided Seifer inside. Serj Aldian followed right behind and following him came Squall and Quistis. The six people reached the 1st floor and walked out of the elevator booth. As soon as they did, dozens of pairs of eyes from students darted to them. Everyone was shocked at the sight of Seifer handcuffed; the rumors and comments on what was going on began spreading around…

            The six all walked down the stairs, until Aldian and his aids came to a halt right before the entrance. 

- _"That's as far as I'll let you two come." _Aldian said to Quistis and Squall.

- _"Can I… have a minute with them?" _asked Seifer, speaking for the first time since his arrest. Aldian hesitated a bit, but then nodded.

            Seifer approached Squall first.

- _"Thank you for your support. I **know** you were trying to help __me__.__" _the tall blond said to his brown-haired comrade. Squall seemed a bit taken aback by Seifer's words.

- _"We'll figure something out. Don't worry…" _said the young Commander, trying to sound confident. Seifer's lips twitched a bit into a tiny smile.

- _"Take care of her for me." _Seifer said, motioning to Quistis.

            Quistis looked at him, at the verge of tears once again. Squall glanced at Quistis' face; sorrow, grief and despair were written all over it. He then turned back to Seifer.

- _"You know I will." _he said. Seifer nodded.

- _"Good…" _he said, then walked closer to Quistis.

            He leaned in close to her face, kissing her tenderly on the cheek. A tear ran hot on Quistis' face, trickling down porcelain-like skin. Seifer closed his eyes and leaned in again, giving her a soft kiss on the lips. Quistis held his face with both hands, cupping it, as more rivulets of salty tears made their way down her cheeks. Seifer pulled away after a bit, looking deep into her blue eyes.

- _"I love you." _he said and –surprisingly- winked at her _"I'll see you again soon…"_ he whispered.

            Quistis looked at her boyfriend puzzled as he walked back to his three escorts. The two aids walked on Seifer's each side, while Aldian walked behind them. Squall laid a hand on Quistis' shoulder as Seifer walked down the corridor with the three Galbadian officials. The blond's face which was up to now serious, turned into a mischievous grin.

            Suddenly, Seifer turned around, hitting Aldian square on the nose with his forehead. The two aids tried to contain him immediately, but Seifer seemed to have broken free. Pulling his wrists outwards, the handcuffs clicked open. He held them in one hand and ducked to avoid one of the soldiers advancing on him. The man fell right on Seifer's back and the latter suddenly pulled up, sending the man flying to the floor. The blond SeeD took a step forward and punched the other soldier on the jaw. He swung the handcuffs right across his neck and grabbed the other side, making the man choke. When he thought he'd weakened him enough, he seized the opportunity and without looking back for a second, he broke into a run, disappearing down the corridor.

            Squall and Quistis, who had up to now watched the entire scene wide-eyed, lost no time and ran after him. They caught glimpse of his long black trench coat down the hallways and kept on following him. They came to a halt out in the Front Gates, where the blond man seemed to have disappeared. They looked around frantically, both out of breath.

- _"How… the hell… did he… escape…?" _asked Squall, panting.

- _"I… dunno…"_ replied Quistis, shaking her head.

            She ran a hand through her red locks, trying to catch her breath, and suddenly froze still, staring blankly. Squall noticed that and looked at her confused.

- _"What? What's… wrong?" _he asked, still breathing heavily.

            Quistis had an instant flashback of only a few minutes ago. Right before Seifer got up from his chair, he had caressed her hair and she'd felt something tingling her scalp… 

- _"He picked the lock…" _said Quistis still staring blankly, while a smile spread slowly on her face. 

- _"With what?" _asked Squall raising an eyebrow.

- _"My hairpin… He 'stole' one before he got up for the interrogation…" _she said, now grinning broadly.

* * *

**A/N: **I just keep torturing those two, don't I? Well, you know what they say; the love between two people will only prove how strong it is through difficult times…

_ON THE NEXT CHAPTER OF 'THE BEGINNING, IS THE END, IS THE BEGINNING':_

_A week has passed since Seifer's disappearance and the atmosphere in __Balamb__Garden__ in uptight…_


	7. Chapter 5: Two new allies

**A/N: **Another update! *Sigh* They haven't been as common as they should be, but I promise that as soon as my written exams are over, it's gonna get better.

About this chapter, I'd like to give **many**, **many** kudos to Chris, my beta. He's the one responsible about many –necessary- changes in Fujin's scene and a good observation about Serj Aldian. Thank you Chris!

**_Last chapter summary:_**_ After being interrogated by the Secretary of Justice, Seifer is found guilty and is about to be arrested, when he escapes…_

* * *

* * *

                                                                                    **_~*The Beginning, is the End, is the Beginning*~_**

                                                                                                    A sequel to _'Love Conquers All'_

                                                                                                         By: Sickness in Salvation

**                                                                                                       Chapter 5: Two new allies**

* * *

* * *

            The news about Seifer being charged for murder spread like wildfire among Garden. It had already been a week now since his escape, and although Cid had made it clear to the student body that Seifer had been framed and was trying to prove his innocence, many scenarios began to roam around the whole incident. Many students, mostly Trepies, had shown their faith and support to Quistis, but there where still others who were certain about Seifer's guiltiness. Rinoa and Zuka who hadn't been present on Seifer's questioning by Aldian, were quickly briefed into the situation. Just like everyone else, they believed Seifer's story and were willing to help him. 

            The Secretary of Justice, Serj Aldian, was incredibly ticked off after Seifer's escape. He suspected Squall and Quistis had aided him somehow at first. She and Squall had spent the entire morning at Cid's office trying to prove that they couldn't have possibly helped Seifer escape since they stood behind him all the time. When he was finally convinced, although still somewhat skeptical, he and his men left immediately for Deling City and declared a bounty on Seifer's head. Now troops of the Galbadian army where 'combing' each and every corner of the globe, looking for him. The media had been jabbering for days about the charges brought upon him and had declared him 'armed and dangerous'.

            Quistis had been more than relieved when Seifer had managed to escape, but she was now incredibly worried about his whereabouts. She wasn't afraid he'd been caught; it would be on the news from the first second. But was he alright? He hadn't tried to communicate with her or anyone from Garden during these seven days and her anxiety was slowly building up. She was really surprised on how she managed to get by during the lessons. Her mind had trailed away innumerable times during her classes, but her students almost always showed understanding. She wondered for how much longer she'd have the courage to even **appear** on the lessons…

            It was now 1 p.m. and she had just finished from her last class for the day. She rubbed her rumbling stomach and exited the classroom, heading towards the cafeteria, to meet her friends for their usual lunch get-together. She suddenly felt incredibly guilty for even **having** an appetite with all those things going on right now, but she just couldn't help it. Besides, the presence of her friends always comforted her. The corridor of the 2nd floor was practically empty at the moment, as all the students had already dispersed from their classes. While she strode down towards the elevator, she heard her cell-phone ring **_'Probably the guys… Complaining that I'm late again…' _**she thought, while digging into her pocket. Without even checking the number, she answered the call.

- _"Hello?" _she spoke.

- _"Quistis, it's me…"_ a distorted male voice was heard.

            The signal was very weak, but Quistis could immediately tell that it was Seifer calling her. She'd recognize his voice anywhere…

- _"Seifer?!" _she whispered excitedly, just loud enough for him to hear _"Oh thank Hyne! Are you alright?" _she asked concerned.

- _"I'm fine. I'm at a safe place. I can't speak right now though. The phone might be bugged, or the call traced. Can you call me back on this number I'll send you?" _he asked.

- _"Just give me **five** minutes. I have to go tell everyone!" _said Quistis breathing fast, incredibly thankful to Hyne for keeping his safe.

- _"Alright. I'll be waiting." _he replied and immediately terminated the call, texting her a phone-number.

            Quistis put the phone back in her pocket and made her way flying –literally- to the Cafeteria. Once there, she walked inside calmly, trying not to show her excitement. She strode quickly over to the usual table the gang sat upon, finding them all there, except for Squall. They didn't even get a chance to greet her, as she spoke immediately.

- _"Everyone get up and come to my room." _she whispered.

- _"What's wrong?" _asked Zell, raising an eyebrow.

- _"**Don't **yell or anything, but Seifer just called __me__.__" _she whispered.

- _"WHA-?!" _began Selphie surprised, but Zuka covered her mouth.

- _"Just call Squall and come to my room. Seifer couldn't speak and asked me to call him back." _she said.

            All of them immediately got up and followed Quistis to the Dorms. Rinoa quickly dialed Squall's number from her cell and told him to hurry over to Quistis and Seifer's dorm. The six friends soon made their way to the room and closed the door shut.

                                                                                    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

- _"Well?!" _asked Irvine as soon as they got inside the room _"What did he say? Where is he?"_

- _"Is he alright?"_ asked Selphie.

- _"He said he's safe, but he didn't tell me where he was. He thought the phone might be under surveillance." _Quistis replied.

- _"Good thinking." _said Zuka.

- _"Here." _said Rinoa handing Quistis her phone _"Call him from mine."_

- _"Thanks…" _said Quistis, dialing the phone number she was checking on the screen of her own cell.

            She waited a bit for the connection to be made. Everyone sat down somewhere, waiting eagerly. Just then, Squall knocked and came in. Zell motioned to him to remain silent and Squall closed the door behind him, leaning against it. Quistis paced back and forth the room, as the phone rang four times. On the fifth, someone answered.

- _"Hello?" _said a familiar female voice. The signal was still somewhat distorted.

- _"Fujin?" _asked Quistis puzzled _"Is that you?"_

- _"Quistis!" _replied Fujin excitedly _"Hold on. I'll get Seifer…"_

            Quistis waited for a few seconds for Seifer to come to the phone. The others were looking at her questioningly at the mentioning of Fujin's name. Quistis just shrugged and shook her head in ignorance. After a couple of seconds, Seifer answered the phone.

- _"Quis?" _he said eagerly.

- _"Seifer where are you?! I'm worried crazy over here! **Everyone **is…" _said Quistis.

- _"*Sigh* I know kitten, but I couldn't contact you until I found a place to hide…" _said Seifer.

- _"Are you with Fujin and Raijin?" _she asked.

- _"Yes, in this village in northern Galbadia called Winhill."_ he replied.

- _"__Northern **Galbadia**__?! Are you **insane**?! Might as well stroll right into __Deling__City__!" _she said exasperated. All of them gasped.

- _"Don't worry… I know what I'm doing. I contacted Raij and Fuj immediately and they called me back right after the Galbadians had searched the village. It's safe, really. No-one saw me come here."_ he said.

- _"How long have you been there?" _Quistis asked.

- _"I just got here yesterday at night. I didn't want to call you then to make you even more worried." _Seifer replied.

- _"Hyne…" _said Quistis touching her forehead _"What are we going to do now? We need to prove your innocence somehow…"_

- _"I know… But for the meantime I **really** need to see you… Is there any chance you could come over somehow? Just for a little bit so…"_

- _"Of **course** I'll come!" _Quistis interrupted him.

- _"We **all** will!" _popped in Selphie, just loud enough for Seifer to hear.

- _"No! It'll be too suspicious! **I'll** go." _said Quistis.

- _"Quistis, let me speak to Seifer for a moment." _said Squall.

- _"Take Squall…" _said Quistis, handing the phone to him.

- _"Listen Seifer, we'll all try to come for just one day to see what we'll do from now on. And maybe Quistis will be able to stay longer, but if we all do, it'll draw way too much attention." _said Squall.

- _"Yeah, I know…" _said Seifer.

- _"Is there anywhere we could spend one night, passing un-noticed?" _asked Squall.

- _"You can all stay here, ya know." _Raijin's voice was heard from the background.

- _"Tell Raijin we really appreciate it, but the seven of us can't possibly stay over at their place. Maybe if not all of us come…" _began Squall.

- _"Oh no… **Trust** me, you can **all** stay here. Their house is pretty big…" _said Seifer.

- _"Are you sure?" _asked Squall in disbelief.

- _"Dead sure." _replied Seifer.

- _"Alright, we'll try to be here tonight if possible, so as not to draw attention. We'll contact you back on this number, OK?" _said the SeeD Commander.

- _"Great, great… Thanks a lot, really… Can I have Quis back?" _asked Seifer.

- _"Sure…" _said Squall, handing the phone back to Quistis.

- _"Hey…" _said Quistis.

- _"Hey…" _said Seifer.

- _"Even if no-one else is able to come, I'll be there tonight." _she told him.

- _"Hyne, I missed you…" _said Seifer sighing.

- _"I missed you too…" _she said, her face frowning.

- _"Dammit… I want to see you, but I'm still not sure if it's a good idea. I might be endangering you…" _he said.

- _"I **don't** care." _said Quistis firmly _"I'm still coming."_

- _"OK… I gotta go now… I hope to see you tonight… Love you…" _said Seifer.

- _"I love you too, Seifer…" _said Quistis. 

            She hung up the phone and handed it back to Rinoa. She sat down on the bed between Irvine and Selphie, who put their hands on her shoulders.

- _"See Quisty?" _said Selphie smiling _"He's OK."_

- _"Yeah…" _said Quistis, covering her face in her palms _"But for how long?" _

                                                                                    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Cid Kramer was sitting behind his desk going through some new admissions for students in Garden. He sighed as he came across many obviously inept candidates whose only 'military trait' was a hefty amount of cash to provide to Garden. Not that money was ever unwanted in an academy of mercenaries, but Cid might have preferred a few more capable soldiers than rich incompetent kids… However, he signed the admissions anyway… 

            He had been going through that paperwork for quite some time, until he got a knock on his door. He removed his glasses, actually glad that someone was interrupting him and rubbed his sore neck.

- _"Come in…" _he said wearily.

            As if Hyne had sensed his boredom, she was kind enough to provide him with the company of not only one, but seven visitors. Squall and co. entered the Headmaster's office, saluting him as soon as they got the door closed behind them.

- _"At ease, everyone. In what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"_ asked Cid.

- _"We've got some very important news Headmaster, sir." _said Squall taking a step in front _"We received a call from Seifer just now."_

- _"Really?!" _said Cid sitting up on his chair _"Where is he? Is he safe?" _

- _"He's currently in Winhill, with former Garden students __Fujin__Wong__ and __Raijin__Takeshi__. They're hiding him over at their house in the aforementioned village. No-one knows of his presence there, but us." _replied Squall, crossing his arms behind his back.

- _"That crazy boy…" _said Cid, rubbing his temples _"I'm glad he's out of harm's way, but he just went and got himself into more trouble by his escape…"_

- _"If I may speak sir…" _intervened Quistis _"I hereby request permission to be relieved of all my tasks. I need to take a long-term hiatus in order to help Seifer gather evidence to prove his innocence. He won't be able to do anything while there's a bounty on his head."_

- _"I would really like to help you Quistis… **and** Seifer of course, but your classes…" _began Cid.

- _"If it means taking away my Instructor's license, I'll go with it. All I'm asking for is to be able to return to Garden as a SeeD after this matter is done with." _she said firmly.

            Cid looked at her utterly surprised. If she was ready to quit a position she worked so hard to regain, she must have her heart really set on helping Seifer. The strict Headmaster couldn't help but feel slightly moved by her statement. He didn't have the heart to strip her of her license again. Besides, Edea would have his head if he pulled something like that…

- _"*Sigh* I'm sure we'll get someone to replace you temporarily… You can keep your license…" _replied Cid.

- _"Thank you sir." _said Quistis, smiling broadly at the Headmaster.

- _"Anyway… Please keep me informed of the investigation progress at all times, so…" _Cid began.

- _"Umm, sir? Sorry to interrupt you…" _Irvine popped in _"…but we'd **all** like to request a hiatus from our responsibilities for a while…"_

            Cid looked at the six of them with eyes wide open.

- _"**All** of you?" _he asked _"I made an exception on Quistis' case due to her, erm… relationship, with Seifer, but I couldn't possibly have all of you away for Hyne knows how long!"_

- _"Of course sir, __Irvine__ didn't put it correctly…" _said Squall _"The rest of us are only asking for one day off to visit Winhill and decide on what our plan will be from now on. Only Quistis will be the one staying. We'll all be back." _finished Squall. Cid sighed.

- _"In that case, I'm granting you **one** day off. Just one. Then I want you all back." _he said _"When are you leaving?"_

- _"The sooner the better. We thought we'd fly there tonight and be back here tomorrow night." _said Quistis.

- _"We want to pass unnoticed in Winhill." _added Zell.

- _"Any sign of all seven of us will be highly suspicious and will draw attention." _said Rinoa.

- _"And we were also hoping you could somehow cover up our absence in Garden." _said Zuka.

- _"That's right… We need to keep this operation secret." _said Cid, falling deep in thought.

- _"You could say we went over to Centra for a matter concerning Matron." _suggested Selphie.

- _"That might do… Will you be needing anything?" _asked Cid.

- _"One SeeD aircraft to fly us to Winhill this afternoon. We want to arrive there at nightfall." _replied Squall.

- _"Alright…" _said Cid opening his top drawer.

            He took out a form from the top of a stack full of them. He reached for his pen resting on the desk and scribbled something on the paper. He signed it and handed it to Squall.

- _"Here you go." _he said _"That should grant you entrance to the aircraft. Be out in the Front Gate at 1900 hours sharp. Dismissed."_

- _"Thank you sir." _said Squall.

            The seven SeeDs saluted their Headmaster and exited his office, retiring to their rooms to get ready for their short trip to Winhill.

                                                                                    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Quistis was inside her dorm, packing clothes and things into a suitcase. The others might be only staying for one night, but she was going to stay for as long as Seifer needed her. Besides, she had to bring him some clothes as well. He'd left in such a state that -of course- didn't allow him to pack anything. As she filled up the suitcase her thoughts traveled to what they'd have to face now that Seifer was literally wanted within the entire globe. The Galbadians where no amateurs and they'd try to hunt him down anyway they possibly could. Quistis didn't think he'd be able to hide forever… The question was: would **she** be able to help him in time? 

                                                                                    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Seven SeeDs and a dog made their way down the main Hall, towards the entrance and to the Front Gate. All of them were carrying a back-pack with a change of clothes for the night, except for Quistis who was carrying a suitcase. It was five to seven and it was time for their flight to Winhill. When they got to the Front Gate, they found a SeeD aircraft waiting for them. Cid had made sure that the word spread that they were on their way to Centra for a matter of Edea's, so none of them shot them any weird glares on their way there. 

            Once having approached the aircraft, Squall walked over to the captain waiting at the entrance of the hangar and saluted him.

- _"Welcome __Commander __Leonhart.__" _said the captain _"I presume you **have**_ _clearance to board the aircraft…"_

- _"Of course…" _said Squall, retrieving Cid's signed piece of paper from his pocket _"Here you go." _he added, handing it to him.__

            The captain unfolded the yellow piece of paper and read it:

* * *

            **_SEED AIRCRAFT_** **_CLEARANCE FORM_**

****

****

****_I**, **_Headmaster Cid Kramer       **_, _**_hereby grant permission to __Commander Squall Leonhart and his companions  , to board          one of the SeeD aircrafts used for missions only._

_            Signed,_

_Cid __Kramer___****

****

* * *

****

****

            The captain folded the piece of paper and put it in his SeeD uniform pocket. He stepped aside the hangar entrance and motioned his hand inside.

- _"Right this way Commander." _he said, allowing everyone to walk inside first. 

            He raised an eyebrow at the sight of a brown-furred dog following the seven SeeD, but shrugged and followed suit himself.

**__**

                                                                                    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            The SeeD aircraft was approaching the small village of Winhill. Night had spread its dark veil upon the clear sky and the eerie silence was only pierced by the sound of the craft's engine. The seven friends were flying over the banks of the river leading to the small, secluded village at the moment. The aircraft began descending, until it smoothly landed on the surface of the riverbed, becoming seaborne. The gate of the hangar slowly opened and a small steel boat appeared, with eight people boarding on it; the seven aforementioned and a SeeD driving the small vessel. 

            The boat made its way through the rather shallow waters, heading towards the isolated cliffside of the village. The only lights they allowed themselves to have on, were those of the vessel. Otherwise, the surrounding environment was completely dark. Soon, they were merely 150 feet away from the shore and all they were able to see was the shadow of a person waiting for them on the small platform. Squall squinted his eyes towards the shadowy figure and spoke.

- _"Must be Fujin…" _he said _"Right on time…" _he added, glancing at his digital watch.

            Within less than two minutes, the vessel reached the platform and stopped. Everyone could now clearly make out Fujin's figure, who was standing there, lightly smiling at them. Squall got out of the boat first and approached her.

- _"Fujin."_ he said, saluting her. Fujin simply nodded _"No-one followed you here, right?"_

- _"No. I was careful." _replied the silver-haired woman.

            Squall noticed that she was no longer wearing an eye patch, allowing the world to see her differently colored eyes. While the one she had always let uncovered was in its usual brown color, the other one was a lot more reddish. Squall wondered why she had bothered to hide it in the first place. Sure, it might have looked weird to someone upon seeing her for the first time, but she was a pretty girl nonetheless, who just spoiled her face with that black eye patch. 

            Zell walked right behind Squall, giving Fujin a wave, while Irvine helped the girls out of the vessel. Angelo, followed Rinoa and let out a bar at the sight of Fujin.

- _"Shh!" _said Rinoa at her dog, pressing her index finger against her lips _"Be quiet __Angelo__!" _she scolded in a whisper. Angelo rested his tail down disappointedly.

- _"You just **had** to bring him over, didn't you?" _said Squall kind of angrily, earning a glare from Rinoa.  

            Quistis, who was the last one out, gave the driver of the boat permission to return to the aircraft and leave. She approached Fujin as well and was really surprised when the latter pulled her into a hug.

- _"Thank you." _she said, once pulling back.

- _"For what?" _asked Quistis puzzled.

- _"For taking such good care of him." _she said, smiling at her. Quistis returned the smile.

- _"Is he alright Fujin?" _she asked concerned.

- _"Fine. You'll for yourself."_ replied Fujin _"Come on." _she said, motioning everyone to follow her.

            The seven teenagers followed Fujin on the abandoned trail she was leading them to. The small, narrow path ran right around the village, obviously ending at some point to her and Raijin's house. 

- _"Fujin?" _asked Zell at some point _"Where are you staying anyway?"_

- _"The old mansion." _she replied.

            All of them shared puzzled looks. It was common knowledge that Fujin was among the richest students ever to pass from Garden. She came from a really well-off family; her father used to be a General for the army of Balamb. However, no-one could imagine how she could have gotten hold of that mansion. Even her family's income wouldn't be able to afford a place like that. Reading the looks on their faces, Fujin spoke again.

- _"Heritage from my uncle who passed away a few months ago." _she said.

            All of them, except for Zuka, immediately knew who Fujin was talking about. They'd visited the village of Winhill during the last Sorceress war and had met the man who lived there at the time with his wife. Squall now knew what Seifer had meant when he said that they could all stay over at their place; it was undoubtedly huge. Selphie smiled inwardly as she remembered that the couple thought their house had been haunted by ghosts, while it had been just a small chicobo who had caused all the raucous. Either way, she shook herself mentally as she heard Fujin saying that her uncle had died.

- _"Sorry about that…" _she said _"My condolences."_

- _"Thank you." _said Fujin.

- _"So… You and Raijin are an item now, huh?" _asked Irvine.

            Fujin shot him an icy glare, hoping that the darkness would cover her somewhat red cheeks. She hardly knew the cowboy; she only recognized him as part of Squall's team. 

- _"Hey, hey sorry… I was only askin'!" _said Irvine, his voice shaking a bit as Fujin's glare send shivers all over his skin.

            Fujin's features became milder after Irvine's apology. She didn't like to answer personal questions… However, she realized the man was just trying to be nice and gave him a nod. A very stern one, but still… a nod. 

            The rest of the walk was a silent one. Squall glanced at Fujin from time to time; he'd always expected her to speak in nothing but short and loud sentences. However, she'd proven them wrong many months ago, aboard the Lunatic Pandora, where she had let out a heartfelt speech about her and Raijin's feelings on Seifer's change. He had realized then, that she could speak just as normally as every other person. She probably only spoke in short sentences in an attempt to intimidate others. Or perhaps to maintain her strict stature and avoid being singled out and judged by her monetary status. It was common belief in Garden that many well-off students were into the academy just for the social appeal of the occupation of SeeD and had no real skills whatsoever. And Squall was quite certain that Fujin would die before letting anyone believe that. Either way, he was glad to see that she felt comfortable enough with all of them to speak normally, although for a second there, after Irvine's comment, Squall would have swore that he expected her to yell out something along the lines of 'PAIN!' and kick the shit out of the cowboy…  

            After about five minutes, the eight teenagers and the brown-furred dog reached a fork. Fujin took the left path, which eventually led them at the top part of the village's square, right next to the mansion. Cautiously, all of them made the way to the entrance, where Fujin gently knocked on the wooden doors. A few second later, a maid appeared at the door greeting Fujin and her visitors. 

            The seven friends along with Angelo walked inside the large house, looking around them impressed. They had definitely done a really good job with that place. The main Hall was sparkly clean. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, while luxurious furniture adorned the place. The two large wooden stairways inside were polished to perfection and covered with cream-white carpet. Two other maids took their coats, while the one who'd let them in, walked over to the doors of the living room, right between the 'gulf' the stairways created, opening them. They all heard a small conversation and after a couple of seconds Raijin emerged from inside. He smiled broadly and spread his arms open.

- _"Welc-" _he began, but was interrupted by Seifer, who rushed out to the Hall, knocking him on the shoulder _"Damn, Seifer… I was gonna welcome them properly, ya know?"_

            Seifer ignored him and looked around the small group of people gathered there and spotted the one he'd barged out there for.

- _"Seifer!" _Quistis shouted excitedly and ran towards him.

- _"Quistis!" _said the tall blond in the exact same tone, approaching her in a run as well.

            Quistis threw herself into his arms, burying her face under his shoulder. Seifer wrapped his arms tightly around her and caressed her hair. Everyone inside the Hall went silent, as Quistis began weeping almost silently. Seifer held her tighter and gently pushed her face back. 

- _"Hey, hey…" _he said in a voice just above a whisper, wiping her cheeks with one finger _"What's this? The Quistis **I** know is strong… She doesn't cry…" _he said, pulling a strand of hair away from her face.

- _"I… was… **so** worried…" _Quistis said between sobs, trying to breathe properly.__

- _"Shh…" _he said, as she buried her face in his arms again _"It's OK now…" _he added, gently rocking her.__

            The couple stayed like that for a while, as all pairs of eyes locked upon them **_'Quisty has been really emotional these days…' _**thought Rinoa_ **'Not that I can blame her of course, but it's still really strange for her…'**_ . The eight people continued to watch the exchange between the two, feeling slightly awkward. At some point, Seifer gently pushed Quistis away and put his arm around her shoulders. 

- _"We'll be waiting inside…" _he said to everyone, walking with Quistis back in the living room.

****

****

Angelo followed them, barking at Seifer happily. Seifer was delighted to see anyone, even the dog he used to call a 'mutt'. He smiled and stroked Angelo's head affectionately, letting him follow them inside the living room.The couple disappeared behind the two large doors, leaving everyone else inside the Hall. They all shared awkward grins, until Raijin broke the silence.            

- _"Either way… As I was sayin', welcome to our house!" _he said.

- _"Thank you Raijin, Fujin, for having us." _said Squall _"I believe not all of you are acquainted with each other… at least not properly…" _he began _"Well, you know Zell and Quistis… This is __Selphie__Tilmitt__, __Irvine__ Kinneas, __Rinoa__Heartilly__ and __Shizuka__Ross.__" _he said, pointing at every person he mentioned, while they nodded or waved at them _"This is __Fujin__Wong__ and __Raijin__Takeshi__."_

- _"Pleased to meet you…" _said Fujin, slightly bowing at them.__

- _"Pleased to meet ya, ya know." _said Raijin _"Leave your things here in the Hall, we'll have someone take them up for ya." _he suggested _"Oy, __Locke__!" _he shouted, calling the maid who had opened the door. __

            Fujin shot him a cold glare and gave him a hard kick on the shin. 

- _"RAGE!" _she yelled.

            Raijin howled in pain and Fujin cleared her throat, regaining composure.

- _"__Locke__, will you and someone else please take up our guests' luggage?" _she asked politely.__

- _"Of course __Miss__Wong.__" _said the maid nodding and walking to the kitchens to call someone.__

- _"**That's** how you address the personnel…"_ said Fujin to Raijin, making him grin awkwardly.__

- _"Hey, why don't you come over to the living room, ya know? We'll have a drink and talk about what ya came for." _Raijin suggested.__

- _"We'd love that." _said Rinoa smiling warmly and followed the couple to the living room, just like everyone else did.__

                                                                        *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            The five couples were all sitting in the huge living room of Fujin and Raijin's house. Everyone was sitting down on the big comfortable couches of the room, except for Seifer and Quistis who were sitting on the thick carpet, close to the fireplace, with Angelo next to them, almost asleep by the heat of the fire. Quistis had now calmed down and was resting her back on Seifer's chest, while he held her tightly, resting his chin on her shoulder giving her light pecks from time to time.

- _"…So when Fujin learned about her uncle, we came here for the will and she found out about this place, ya know?" _Raijin explained how they'd moved there _"And since we liked the house and the place so much, we left FH and came to live here. We can still fish here in the river and have a quiet life, since we decided to leave the mercenary life, ya know?"_

- _"I didn't know you liked to fish…" _said Squall.__

- _"Oh yeah! We used to do it all the time with Seifer!" _exclaimed Raijin.__

- _"You fish?" _Quistis asked Seifer, who nodded _"I didn't know that…" _she said smiling.__

- _"Good for you… They say it's good for the nerves…" _said Zell grinning at Seifer. Seifer merely scoffed and smirked.__

- _"So, how long have you lived here?" _asked Selphie.__

- _"About two months."_ replied Fujin.__

- _"And how do you like this village?" _asked Zuka.__

- _"It's really great, ya know. Not the peak of technology of course, but it's calm and quiet, ya know." _answered Fujin.__

- _"So how did you find them?" _ Quistis asked Seifer.__

- _"I went to Fujin's uncle's funeral right before coming to Garden. We've kept contact ever since then. We talk pretty often." _Seifer replied.__

- _"So, Seifer called us as soon as he left Balamb, ya know. He told us about the situation and we told him he should hide here." _said Raijin.__

- _"Yeah, but isn't it dangerous, being right under their noses?" _asked Rinoa.__

- _"On the contrary." _said Fujin _"They won't expect him to hide here. Besides, we waited until they searched the village and **then** told Seifer to come here."_

- _"So how long do you plan to stay here?" _Irvine asked Seifer.__

- _"I dunno…" _Seifer said shrugging.__

- _"Well, until you prove you're innocent, you can stay here, ya know?" _suggested Raijin.__

- _"Thanks for the offer Raijin, I appreciate it greatly, but I'm putting you in way too much danger. Besides, the townspeople are bound to notice me at **some** point. And I can't stay among four walls for much longer."_ said Seifer.__

- _"Hey, what about going to the orphanage in Centra?" _suggested Selphie _"I spoke with Matron, right before we left and she said she'd really like to have you there."_

- _"Oh, yeah, it'd be perfect!" _exclaimed Zell _"There aren't any cities near the vicinity for miles!"_

- _"And it's just been rebuilt." _added Irvine.__

- _"There aren't any children there yet, it would be perfect." _added Zuka.__

- _"I agree Seifer. It's the best place." _said Squall.__

- _"What do you say, Quis?" _Seifer asked her.__

- _"Everyone's right. You'll be safe with Matron." _she replied _"Besides, I'm coming too."_

- _"You know… I don't think that'll be a very good idea…" _said Squall.__

- _"Why not?" _asked Quistis raising an eyebrow.__

- _"You can stay with him for a while, but if you're away for **too** long it'll be suspicious…" _he replied.__

- _"*Sigh* As much as I hate to be away from you, he's right…" _said Seifer.__

- _"Maybe you could go to Centra from time to time. Just be back in Garden long enough to erase any suspicions." _suggested Rinoa.__

- _"Maybe…" _said Quistis sighing _"We'll see… I'll come with you for a few days and then we'll decide…"_

- _"So you're going?" _Squall asked Seifer.__

- _"Yeah, as soon as possible." _replied Seifer.__

- _"What about tomorrow?" _suggested Zell.__

- _"**That** soon?" _asked Seifer.__

- _"Why not?" _said Squall shrugging _"We're leaving tomorrow as well. We can arrange for an aircraft to come and pick you and Quistis up, to fly you there."_

- _"Hey, we can come for a while too, ya know?" _suggested Raijin. Fujin nodded.__

- _"Sure, I'd like that…" _said Seifer, smiling at them.__

- _"Alright then…" _said Irvine _"Tomorrow morning we talk about the plan, call Edea and first thing at night we all leave." _he suggested.__

- _"Fair enough…" _agreed Squall _"I'm beat right now…" _

- _"No wonder…" _said Rinoa, checking her watch _"It's already a quarter past __midnight__."_

- _"Right…" _said Raijin getting up _"We'll show ya to your rooms, ya know. Come on Fuj…" _he added, putting an arm around his girlfriend's shoulders.__

            The five couples made their way out of the living room and walked up the stairs. Raijin and Fujin showed everyone to their rooms and then went to sleep themselves.

* * *

**A/N: **Fujin and Raijin have made their comeback… I'd forgotten how cool she was.

_ON THE NEXT CHAPTER OF 'THE BEGINNING, IS THE END, IS THE BEGINNING':_

_The 'gang' make up their plan to help Seifer…_


	8. Chapter 6: One mistake to haunt him fore...

**A/N:** One week left to go… And then those stupid exams will be over! Actually I'll have another two weeks for any classes I might fail and need to re-take, but the rough stuff are over… So in a week the update frequency will return back to normal… hopefully :-)

Mmmmkay, a bit of a slow chapter this time, not any action going on yet, but you'll get the main idea behind Zenton Deling's conspiracy against Seifer.

Enjoy, my dearies!

**_Last chapter summary:_**_ Having a bounty on his head, Seifer temporarily hid in Winhill to his ex-posse's 'quarters'. Fujin and Raijin are here to stay and are willing to help Seifer prove his innocence…_

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Futurama or any of its characters. But I wish I did! That show kicked major ass! ^_^ 

* * *

* * *

                                                                                    **_~*The Beginning, is the End, is the Beginning*~_**

                                                                                                    A sequel to _'Love Conquers All'_

                                                                                                         By: Sickness in Salvation

**                                                                                       Chapter 6: One mistake to haunt you forever…**

* * *

* * *

            Quistis couldn't sleep; she'd tried to for quite some time, but her mind was far too pre-occupied with thoughts to rest. She turned around in bed and found Seifer sleeping peacefully. She smiled and wondered how on earth he could stay so calm… If there was only one of them who should be worried, that ought to be him… She ran a hand through his soft hair and gave him a kiss on the forehead. She turned back around and slowly got up from bed, trying not to wake him up. The moment she removed the covers off her, a cold shiver ran through her naked body. She looked around on the floor and grabbed Seifer's Fire Cross T-shirt, wearing it. She picked up her underwear and wore them too, getting up. 

            She walked over to the window right next to the big double bed of the room Raijin and Fujin had kindly provided them with. She pulled the curtain away a bit and looked at the clear night sky outside. There were no clouds that night and the stars glimmered like gold-dust up in the sky's black-blue veil. The moon was just beginning to wane; its silvery rays fell brightly, piercing the darkness. Quistis sighed deeply. She remembered a night she'd spent with Seifer on the beach, looking at stars. He told her that some people believed stars were the souls of beloved ones who had passed away and were looking down upon you, protecting you. He also said that every shooting star was that soul's way of telling you that its job was done and that now you would be able to make it on your own… 

            She could have sworn that he stole that 'line' from a movie, a book or something, as it was one of the corniest things she'd ever heard in her life. When she told him that, he laughed and replied that it was indeed stolen, but it always worked. She smiled as she realized he was right… Lost within her thoughts, she barely heard the sound of footsteps, as Seifer, now dressed in his boxers, approached her and hugged her waist from behind.

- _"Some people believe that stars are the souls of beloved ones who have passed away and are now looking down on you, protecting you…" _he whispered in her ear.

- _"…and every shooting star…"_ she added _"…is the way of that certain soul telling you that its job is done and that now you can make it on your own…"_

            Seifer chuckled and kissed her shoulder.

- _"I was just thinking about that…" _said Quistis softly.

- _"Why aren't you sleeping kitten?" _he asked.

- _"Why aren't **you**?" _she asked back.

- _"I was, but **someone** woke me up by getting off the bed…" _he said grinning.

- _"Sorry…" _said Quistis _"I was just… thinking about stuff…" _

- _"'Stuff?"_ he said.

- _"*Sigh* Yeah… About what's held in store for us now…" _she replied.

- _"You worry too much…" _he said.

- _"Well, **someone** has to…" _she said grinning, turning to look at him.

- _"Everything will turn out OK Quistis… I promise…" _he said, meeting her gaze.

            Quistis smiled weakly at him and caressed his cheek with one hand.

- _"You're right…"_ she said turning back to look outside the window _"I should be more optimistic…"_

- _"That's my girl…" _he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek _"Come on, let's go back to sleep…" _he added, pulling her to the bed.

            Seifer lied back down on bed on the right side, rising up the covers for Quistis. She crawled right next to him and scooted closer. He covered her up with the warm blanket and put his arms around her. Quistis nuzzled her head in his chest and felt the warmth of his bare skin against hers. Once again, she tried to sleep, but her mind just didn't seem to be willing to go into rest…  

- _"Seifer?" _she asked.

- _"Mmm?"_

- _"Love you…"_ she said quietly.

            As a response, Seifer lowered his head down to look at her and smiled. He kissed her softly on the lips and hugged her tighter.

- _"Love you too kitten…" _

                                                                                    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_                                                                                                   The next morning…_

            Zell lazily walked down the stairs towards the kitchen. On his way there, he heard the humming of muffled voices and a TV set from behind the living room doors. Raising an eyebrow, he walked to the doorway and walked inside. He found almost everyone gathered inside, sitting on the couches, eating breakfast and chatting while glancing to the TV screen from time to time. Zuka was the first to notice Zell standing under the doorframe.

- _"Morning sunshine…" _she said grinning _"Come and grab a bite…" _she added, patting on the empty spot next to her on the couch.

- _"Why are you guys sitting here instead of the kitchen?" _Zell asked, rubbing the back of his hair, walking towards Shizuka.

- _"'Cause Selphie and __Irvine__ insisted on watching cartoons. Rinoa was in for it too, so we all decided to eat here."_ replied Fujin.

- _"'Where are Seifer and Quistis?" _asked Zell, now sitting on the couch next to his girlfriend _"Still sleeping?"_

- _"They're in the kitchen." _replied Rinoa _"They went in to prepare something and come join us, but I don't think they're planning on coming back…" _

- _"I see… Any cereal around here by any chance?" _asked Zell, looking around the contents of the coffee table.

- _"Nope." _replied Irvine.

- _"Aw, dammit…" _mumbled Zell indignantly.

- _"There is some in the kitchen, ya know…" _informed Raijin.

- _"But you'd have to actually go in there…" _added Zuka.

- _"Think it's… 'safe'?" _asked Zell hesitantly.Irvine shrugged.

- _"Dunno man… It's your call to make…" _he said.

- _"*Grunt* I'll go…" _said Zell getting up _"Anyone want anything since I'm going inside?" _he asked.

            Everyone shook their heads in negation, except for Irvine and Selphie who were laughing their asses off with 'Futurama' and didn't even seem to have heard Zell's question. Zell left the living room and made his way to the kitchen. Once outside the double doors, he hesitated a bit and pressed hi ear against the wooden doors. He heard a muffled sound of what sounded like a conversation and the sizzling of a frying pan **_'Sounds safe…' _**he thought, and pushed the doors open. He poked his head inside first, hoping he wouldn't run into any too awkward scenes. 

            He was relieved to see Seifer and Quistis standing up by the cooker. Quistis was wearing a long -for her- white T-shirt with the red Fire Cross in front and was poking whatever was inside the frying pan with a fork. Seifer was right behind her, dressed in a pair of black sweatpants, holding her from the waist. He had his chin resting on her shoulder and was whispering something that made her chuckle to her ear. They seemed to totally ignore Zell's presence in the room. They only turned their attention away from each other the moment Zell cleared his throat loudly.

- _"*Ahem*" _said Zell, crossing his arms.

            Quistis turned her head sharply towards his side, while Seifer looked up arching his eyebrows, his lips touching the skin on Quistis' neck. Quistis smiled at Zell and blushed a bit.

- _"Morning Zell." _she said and went back to frying two eggs. Seifer simply nodded.

- _"Morning…" _said Zell walking towards the cupboards _"You wouldn't happen to know where the cereal is?" _he asked.

- _"Second cupboard on your right."_ replied Seifer immediately, wanting to get rid of him. 

- _"K…" _mumbled Zell, opening the cupboard, looking around.

- _"What are you, blind?!" _asked Seifer exasperated _"It's right over there!" _he said, pointing at the top shelf inside the cupboard _"Oh… Want me to reach it for you?" _he asked smirking.

- _"Got it." _replied Zell through gritted teeth, closing the cupboard.

- _"Here." _said Quistis, handing him a bowl and a spoon.

- _"Thanks… Have fun…" _said Zell, walking to the door.

- _"We were until **you** came in…" _mumbled Seifer, just loud enough so that Zell would hear him.

            As soon as the door closed behind a muttering Zell, Seifer sighed and gave Quistis a kiss on the shoulder.

- _"Done?" _he asked.

- _"Yup… All set." _replied Quistis, taking the pan off the hot plate.

            The couple walked over to the table where a plate half-filled with pieces of toast and two glasses of orange juice stood. Quistis emptied the eggs onto the plate, left it in the sink and then walked back to the table, were she sat on Seifer's lap. Seifer cut a piece of toast and fed it to her, giving her a peck right afterwards. Quistis grinned and wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. Seifer pulled her even closer from the waist and lifted one hand up to hold her nape. Just then, Selphie rushed inside the kitchens panting, looking panicked.

- _"Seify! Quisty!" _she yelled, making them break part immediately.

- _"Is the **sole** purpose of you all in life to disturb us?" _Seifer asked indignantly.

- _"Sorry, but it's **reeeeally** important!" _said Selphie fidgeting around in anxiety.

- _"Selphie, what's wrong?" _asked Quistis worriedly.

- _"It's all over the news!" _began the miniscule fighter _"We were watching 'Futurama' and just when __Fry__ was about to sleep with his grandma-" _

- _"First of all, **to the point** if you please! Second… **what** kind of sick-ass cartoons do you watch?!" _asked Seifer, repulsed.

- _Just come and see for yourselves! There's urgent news cast on the air right now!" _said Selphie and ran out of the room. 

            Quistis and Seifer looked at each other puzzled, then shrugged and got up.

                                                                                    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            The couple walked inside the living room and found everyone's eyes plastered onto the screen. Seifer raised an eyebrow and was about to ask what the hell was going on, when a name the news caster mentioned made him jerk his head towards the TV screen as well.

- _"…from D-District prison, where right now, Zenton Deling and the rest of his comrades imprisoned last September, are being set free. Aeris Gainsborough, over to you." _said the news caster, to a journalist now visible on screen.

- _"Thank you __Helena__. As you can see, Zenton Deling, son of former and deceased __President __Vinzer__Deling__, is now exiting the prison. We'll try and take a closer look." _said that Gainsborough woman, as she trotted closer towards the ex-convict.

            A small crowd of journalists had rushed over to Deling and his troop, going into a frenzy of questions. Deling raised his palms up in an attempt to silence them all. The uproar died down a bit and then the sound of a journalist's voice was heard.

- _"Mr. Deling, what do you have to say about the charges once inflicted on you that are now pressing Seifer Almasy, former Knight of Sorceress Edea?" _asked the man.

            Silence overtook the ten teenagers inside the room, as well as the crowd gathered around Deling. The young, around his mid-twenties, man approached the microphone now jerked in front of him and spoke.

- _"Last September, when my comrades and I were arrested for false charges, I clearly stated who the **real** culprit behind the whole conspiracy was. Seifer Almasy had had this planned quite some time ago and my team tried to stop him by luring him into a bogus plan to assassinate the now late Sirius Connelly. Unfortunately, we underestimated the way this man's devious mind works and found ourselves trapped in his own scheme. We spent all these months imprisoned for a deed we never planned to commit. However, justice prevailed once more in Galbadia and the truth was revealed. I do not resent my country for the days I had to spend in prison despite my innocence. However, I am deeply distressed that a fine man like Sirius __Connelly__ had to be sacrificed in order for the truth to surface. I shall now accept my somewhat poignant duty in taking charge of the Presidency of Galbadia. Rest assured that I will take any action possible in order to capture the man who dared to infiltrate and wreck our country's peace for yet another time. Wherever __Seifer__Almasy__ is, we will find him. Thank you…" _said Deling.

            The journalists flooded the new President with innumerable questions as he tried to leave, but he politely ignored them all and made his way to one of the black limos stationed outside the D-District prison. 

            Inside the living room of Raijin and Fujin's mansion, the atmosphere was beyond plain 'heavy'. No-one dared to speak and all eyes were stuck upon Seifer, who stared at the screen infuriated. He was squeezing Quistis' hand so hard, that she felt as if it was going to break to shards.

- _"This had been his plan all along…" _mumbled Seifer at some point, breaking the overbearing silence _"He wanted to murder __Connelly__ to take his place and blame it all on me."_

- _"Did he mention that when he tried to hire you last September?" _asked Squall. Seifer shook his head in response.__

- _"*Scoff* And that fucking snake __Robinson__ tagging along as always…" _growled Seifer, still staring at the screen.__

            All heads turned back on the TV, to the man Seifer had just mentioned. A man in his mid-thirties, with his brown hair pulledback into a ponytail, was following Deling. Anton Robinson, Deling's right-hand man.

- _"Who's that woman with him?" _Zuka asked.

            A blonde woman was visible right now. She seemed quite tall, was dressed in a long deep red coat and wore black shades. Her head was mostly covered by a black scarf which then coiled around her neck. She had squeezed her way through the hoards of journalists who tried to hold her back to answer a few questions, and was now hugging Robinson. The latter held her hand and entered the limo Deling had walked inside. 

- _"I dunno…" _answered Squall _"She seems to be someone close to __Robinson__. Maybe a relative or a girlfriend or something…"_

            Back on TV, once all three of Deling, Robinson and that woman had entered the limo, the vehicle took off. The screen switched back to the channel's studio, where certain political personas were gathered in separate 'windows' to talk about the instatement of Deling as President.

- _"Mr. Trafford,"_ the newscaster addressed the Secretary of Domestic Affairs, Cedric Trafford _"Many politicians, such as yourself, have opposed to the election of Zenton Deling as the new Galbadian President, claiming –and I'm taking this statement of yours from the 'Galbadia Daily' newspaper-  that 'such an action takes us back to times of obscurantism'. I would like to ask you to elaborate on that."_

- _"Certainly, __Miss__Perez__." _Trafford replied to the newscaster _"As part of the late Sirius __Connelly__'s governmental team, I was able to view first-hand what progress is all about. After one and a half decade of a tyrannical status quo, we were able to see for the shortest of periods the first ray of light in the era of 'obscurantism' as I've stated before. Zenton Deling was only elected due to his blood relation with former __President __Vinzer__Deling__. It is my firm belief that he has no further qualities whatsoever to become a successful descendant for the Presidency of Galbadia."_

- _"**If** I may interrupt __Miss__Perez__…" _intervened Serj Aldian, Secretary of Justice _"__Mr.__Trafford__. First of all, it's common knowledge that Sirius __Connelly__ wasn't actually what one would call a 'saint'. And on a second issue, I really can't see how you can judge someone without giving him a chance to prove his worth…"_

- _"Mr. Aldian, will all due respect, the **last** person who should be given an opportunity in this position is Zenton Deling. We have all heard of the accusations inflicted on him for the conspiracy against __President __Connelly__ last September…" _retorted Trafford.

- _"And we all know as well that these accusations were falsely directed, as it came out that the culprit behind all this was Seifer Almasy." _piped in the former Secretary of Civilization, from Vinzer Deling's time.

- _"This was never really confirmed, since __Mr.__Aldian__ here, failed to bring the aforementioned 'culprit' into custody one week ag-" _began Trafford, in a sarcastic tone.

- _"Seifer Almasy is a dangerous man, capable of things we cannot imagine." _Aldian defended himself _"Do not speak about things you have no experience of __Mr.__Trafford__!"_

- _"He's a nineteen-year-old boy, for Hyne's sake!" _said Trafford exasperated.

- _"He's a nineteen-year-old **mass murderer**!"_ insisted Aldian, banging his fist on his desk. 

            At that point, Seifer turned around and banged his fist hard on the wall. He ran his other hand through his hair and sighed deeply. Quistis put her hand on his shoulder and turned around to the others.

- _"Could we turn that off?" _she asked _"I don't think it's worth watching anymore…"_

            Squall nodded and switched the TV off with the remote. Everyone remained silent once again. Seifer sighed again loudly and spoke.

- _"One stupid fucking mistake one year ago and now it'll haunt me forever…" _he said.

- _"Don't talk like that…" _said Quistis _"We'll figure this out…"_

- _"How?" _asked Seifer.

            None of them spoke. What was there to say anyway? Seifer was right; how where they going to get him out of this? 

- _"Well, don't just give up like that!" _piped in Selphie _"We'll get started with a plan and see how it goes!" _she suggested.

- _"She's right Seifer." _said Fujin _"It's the best you can do for now."_

- _"I dunno…" _mumbled Seifer _"What good will it do?" _he asked shrugging.

- _"Please Sei…" _Quistis pleaded, holding his hand _"For me…"_

            Seifer turned and looked at her, giving her a weak smile. He held her from the nape and gave her a kiss on the forehead. He turned around and walked with her over to an empty spot in one of the couches, next to Zell and Zuka, sitting down.

- _"OK then… Let's hear it? What did you have in mind?" _he asked.

- _"First of all, we gotta specify which sectors we'll be working on. Then, we'll assign one field to everyone, or we could work in small groups." _Selphie began, pulling out a notebook she had right next to her _"I was thinking that we should cover more or less these fields: The President's holiday mansion outside of Deling," _she said, indicating 'one' with her index finger _"We need to take a good look at the crime scene first. Then, we should go on and question the supposed 'witnesses' in Deling. Maybe someone threatened them to say they saw Seifer that night. Third, we should try to find the President's autopsy report at the city's morgue. Hyne knows how often these tend to get 'tampered' with to cover up evidence. Fourth, I think that it would be good if we did some PC research on Zenton Deling. See if we can dig out any 'dirt' on him that can help us with this case. It would also be good if we looked around for info on the other faction members, like __Robinson__. Finally, Xu talked about the autopsy back in Garden. She said that the cuts on the body were identified as ones belonging to a gunblade and that the bullet came from a Hyperion model. We should conduct a small research on all Hyperion owners and check where the bullets get manufactured, just in case we find that there was any weird  'shipping' lately…" _she finished drawing a deep breath _"That's about it for a start. What do you guys think?"_

            Selphie stopped talking and looked around her friends. None of them was speaking and they were all looking at her wide-eyed.

- _"What?" _asked Selphie innocently.

- _"You're **good**, ya know…?" _said Raijin, impressed.__

- _"Honestly Selphie… That was very… professional…" _said Squall. All of them nodded.__

- _"Thanks you guys…" _said Selphie giggling and blushing.

- _"No really… That was **good**…" _said Zell.__

- _"Heh, heh… My pooh-bear is a genius…"_ said Irvine proudly, hugging Selphie tightly.__

- _"Thank you Irvy-Kinne-poo!" _squealed his girlfriend, giving him a peck on the lips.__

- _"To the point if you please!" _protested Quistis.__

- _"Yeah, sorry…" _said Selphie grinning, running the back of her hair _"So anyway… Any other ideas guys?" _she asked.__

- _"I think you've covered just about anything for the time being…" _said Seifer.__

- _"Yeah, I think we should start assigning duties." _said Rinoa.__

- _"OK!" _said Selphie excitedly _"I was thinking that me and Z-"_

- _"Whoa, whoa…" _Seifer interrupted her _"If anyone's doing all that, it'll be me. I'm the one involved in this story, not you."_

- _"Seifer, you **know** you can't step a toe out in the open. Someone has to do field work." _said Zuka.__

- _"Listen…" _he replied _"I really appreciate it, but I don't-"_

- _"No 'buts' straw-head!" _said Selphie, putting her hands on her hips _"I'm the mastermind behind the plan and I say that we **will **participate, whether you like it or not!"_

            Seifer stared at Selphie wide-eyed.

- _"Yes ma'am…" _he said in a voice barely audible.

- _"Thought so…" _said Selphie, a smug expression on her face.__

- _"She can be damn fuckin' scary…" _Seifer whispered into Quistis' ear.__

- _"Tell me about it…" _said Quistis grinning.

- _"So… Where should we start from?"_ asked Rinoa.__

- _"I think we need to visit the crime scene first. See where we can get started…" _suggested Quistis.__

- _"Alrighty…" _said Selphie, noting it down on her notebook _"And we need to get access to a **really** good on-line library to get as mush info as we can on anything we might need. I say Esthar's, without a doubt…" _ __

- _"Yeah, definitely…" _agreed Zell.__

- _"__Y'know__," _piped in Shizuka _"All we'll need is a password to be able to access it from any computer connected with the Internet. If you can get me that password, I'll be able to search for info through the PC in Garden's Library and we won't have to go to Esthar and back each time we need to look something up."_

- _"Booyaka!" _exclaimed Selphie _"I didn't know you could do that! So Squall, you'll pay Laguna a visit about this, won't you?"_

- _"Can't I just call him?" _asked Squall almost pleadingly.__

- _"No you can't!" _protested Rinoa _"He'll be really happy to see you in person Squall! You're going!"_

- _"Irvy can go with you…" _suggested Selphie.__

- _"Huh?" _said Irvine startled, having zoned out for a second _"Yeah, sure I can…"  _

- _"And who'll be going to Deling to the mansion then?" _asked Zell.__

- _"We could go together." _offered Selphie. Zell shrugged.__

- _"So what will the rest of us do?" _asked Quistis.__

- _"You and Seify are going to Centra to Matron for the time being." _replied Selphie _"You could work on any research we might need, since you have to be undercover. Me and Zell will leave for __Deling__City__ and the rest will go back to Garden until further notice."_

- _"Hey, we wanna help too, ya know?"_ protested Raijin. Next to him, Fujin nodded.__

- _"Guys," _said Seifer _"I've already put you through too much trouble. 'Sides, the Galbadians will suspect you if you disappear for some time."_

- _"Then let us come to Centra for a little while." _suggested Fujin.__

- _"Sure…" _said Seifer, smiling at her weakly.__

- _"So… Are we all set? We gotta leave tonight."_ said Selphie.__

- _"There's just one thing; how are we going to Centra?" _asked Quistis, pointing at herself, Seifer and Fujin with Raijin.__

- _"We'll request another SeeD aircraft to come. One will return us to Garden, the other will take you four to Edea's." _replied Rinoa.__

- _"I'm not sure if that's such a good idea…" _said Seifer frowning _"We should keep Garden out of this as much as possible. It's bad enough that they think all of you helped me escape."_

- _"We'll be discreet, don't worry." _Selphie reassured him.__

- _"We've decided then? We all leave tonight?" _asked Irvine for reassurance.__

- _"Yes." _replied Selphie _"I'll go make the calls for two aircrafts sent tonight. One for Quisty, Seifer, Fujin and Raijin to get to Centra and another one for us. We'll report to Cid and as of tomorrow, the investigation is under way…"_  __

* * *

**A/N:** So Deling got his greedy paws on what he wanted; the presidency of Galbadia. It may seem weird to many of you that he got the position simply because of the fact that he was related by blood to the deceased Vinzer Deling, right? I got this idea from the way things worked in ancient Greece, where the succession to the throne was always a family issue; the first born son of the family was always the heir to the throne, despite his possible lack of leadership qualities. Such tactics were, of course, followed in tyrannical governments, before Democracy was born and flourished, but I found it quite suitable as in the game, we're informed that Vinzer Deling's government was a dictatorship. 

_ON THE NEXT CHAPTER OF 'THE BEGINNING, IS THE END, IS THE BEGINNING':_

_I'll just quote what Selphie said in the ending of the chapter: '…as of tomorrow, the investigation is under way…'_


	9. Chapter 7: Let the games begin

**A/N:** OK, this time it took me reeeeally long to update (as opposed to usually that is), but the good news, is that my exams are officially over! Whoo-hoo!

 

**_Last chapter summary:_**_ Zenton Deling and his comrades all got released from the D-District prison and Deling gained the position of President of Galbadia… Things now don't look good for Seifer, but his friends are all determined to help him prove his innocence. And so the investigations begin!_

* * *

* * *

                                                                                    **_~*The Beginning, is the End, is the Beginning*~_**

                                                                                                    A sequel to _'Love Conquers All'_

                                                                                                         By: Sickness in Salvation

**                                                                                                  Chapter 7: Let the games begin…**

* * *

* * *

            The wheels of a yellow car screeched onto the narrow path ahead and the vehicle came to an abrupt stop right in front of a pair of metal Gates, emitting a big cloud of dust as it did so. A muffled curse came from the interior of the car and the front door of the passenger's seat flung open. Zell literally threw himself out of the car, breathing heavily and clutching his heart with his right palm. He coughed as he inhaled dust and cleared the air in front of him with one palm, while banging hard on his chest with his clenched fist. He threw a kick at the door behind him, slamming it shut, as the sound of the car engine died out and the door of the driver opened.

- _ "Sometimes I really can't blame Seifer for calling you a chicken…" _said Selphie, exiting the car _"I wasn't going **that** fast!"_ she added and closed the door, putting the car keys in her pockets.__

            Zell shot her a poisonous glare as he dusted off his black leather jacket and coughed mildly a few last times, the dust in front of him now settling down.

- _"'Wasn't going **that** fast?!'" _he yelled furiously _"You were driving at a **hundred and fifty miles per hour**! On the **turns**!"_

- _"Really now Zell…" _said Selphie impatiently, zipping her fluorescent yellow furry jacket shut _"How did you expect me to drive? Like a grandma?"_

- _"There's a **reason** that the speed indicator includes **sensible** speed limits such as **seventy** or even **ninety**, for Hyne's sake!" _said the blond, finally catching his breath.__

- _"Tsk, whatever…" _said Selphie indifferently _"Come on, we've got work to do…" _she added, walking towards the Gates before them.__

            Zell shook his head in disbelief and followed his miniscule friend. The up to now muted clattering of Selphie's brown, heeled boots making contact with the ground, sounded as she stepped on the stone-paved path, which led to the Gates. The two teenagers walked towards the entrance where a couple of Galbadian soldiers were standing in guard. The murder site of the former Galbadian President had been closed down for any investigations of any sort. The holiday mansion of Sirius Connelly now stood grimly silent and gray, despite the vigorously green environment it was positioned amongst, creating a profoundly contrasting picture. 

            The window curtains were closed shut, blocking the interior of the manor from view. Two large yellow plastic ribbons were bound on the deep red mahogany door of the entrance forming an 'X'. On the ribbons, large blue letters read 'POLICE LINE – DO NOT CROSS'. On both sides of the doorway, stood another pair of soldiers. Army trucks were parked on the grand grass yard laid in front. Obviously, more soldiers were stationed inside the mansion. Zell arched a fair eyebrow upon noticing that.

- _"This place is guarded to the bunks…"_ he whispered on Selphie's ear.

- _"Yeah, I guess they're here to make sure no-one messes up the crime scene." _Selphie whispered back.__

- _"Or to make sure no-one discovers anything…" _he mumbled.__

- _"Well, we're about to find out, aren't we?"_

- _"I highly doubt we'll get past those soldiers without having to knock them out…" _

- _"We'll see about that…" _said Selphie slyly.__

            The two SeeDs came to a halt in front of the blue-clad men. Selphie stepped forward, wearing her sweetest smile on.

- _"Good morning." _she said chirpily to the men.

- _"Good morning." _said one of them back _"Can we help you with something?" _he asked.__

- _"I've noticed that the entrance is prohibited. Does this mean that no more investigations can be conducted?" _she asked, cocking her head to the side.__

- _"I'm afraid so, __Miss.__" _replied the soldier _"We've got orders from the President himself to keep this area's bounds forbidden."_

- _"Even if we've got a warn?" _asked Zell, stepping in front.__

- _"Even so, sir. President's orders."_

- _"Well thank you very much for your time then, gentlemen." _said Selphie, the smile never abandoning her face _"Good day." _she added, grabbing Zell's hand, gently dragging him back towards the car _"Act casual and just get in the car." _she whispered when the soldiers were out of earshot.__

            Zell opened the door of the passenger's seat and entered the car, Selphie following suit right after him. The hyper girl turned the key in the ignition and drove off. 

- _"Now what?" _asked Zell, as Selphie drove down the path they'd come from.

- _"Now we do this the old-fashioned way…"_ said Selphie, making an abrupt turn to the right when they were out of sight.__

            Zell gripped the sides of his seat roughly, his eyes widening up. 

- _"Where are you going **now**?!" _he asked, almost afraid of what her answer was going to be.

- _"Relax, I'm taking a little detour through the conveniently bushy flora…" _replied the girl, grinning.__

- _"If I survive this, I'd like to make clear that **I'm** driving on the way back!"_      

                                                                                                                        *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            The yellow car came to a halt amidst the dense forest, located not too far from Connelly's mansion. Selphie grabbed her nunchaku from the back seat and walked outside. Zell stepped out as well, stuffing his blue baggy jean pockets with a couple of small pouches. He closed the door behind him and followed Selphie. 

- _"Any chance of telling me what you've got in mind, or do I have to guess?" _asked the blond, shooting rogue glances to the trees and bushes around him.

- _"I don't know if you noticed, but this small forest communicates **directly** with the mansion…" _said Selphie, pushing aside some twigs and branches which came in her way with her weapon.__

- _"We still have to find a way to get past the thick wall fence which prevents us from entering into the house. I don't know if **you** noticed **that**…" _Zell retorted sarcastically.__

- _"You don't use your brains, do you?" _asked Selphie impatiently. Zell shot her a glare _"**That's** why we're going through the forest! To be able to climb up the wall more easily, doofus!"_

- _"My mind's too confused from damn jet-lag…" _he mumbled.__

- _"'Jet-lag'?" _asked Selphie in disbelief.__

- _"We flew from Winhill to Balamb last night and from Balamb to Deling within less than twelve hours! What do you call **that**?!"_

- _"An excuse for being brain-dead…"_ said Selphie chuckling. Zell narrowed his eyes.

- _"At least I've got enough brains to know how to take care of my car. Don't start bitching when we get back and we find yours buried under a pile of Thrustaevis crap…"_

            Selphie stopped in her tracks and raised an eyebrow. She hadn't thought of that…

                                                                                                                        *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Squall and Rinoa walked hand-in-hand down the crowded corridors of Balamb Garden. Students and SeeDs all waved smiling at them or saluted Squall, always receiving a warm smile from Rinoa and a polite nod from her significant other. The couple stopped right outside the Infirmary, where Rinoa now worked.

- _ "What are you gonna do today?" _Rinoa asked Squall, hugging him from the waist.

- _"The usual…" _replied Squall, shifting a bit uncomfortably _"Paperwork and probably a brief meeting with Cid once I get a call from Zell and Selphie on how the investigation is progressing."_

- _"Good… I'll call Quisty later on to see if they got to Centra OK. They should be arriving there any time now,"_ said the young sorceress, checking her watch _"In about an hour. Hey, wanna go grab some lunch when you're done?"_ she asked.

- _"Sure. I'll come pick you up." _replied Squall, giving her a kiss on the forehead _"Have a nice day."_

            He made a move to leave, but Rinoa grinned mischievously, grabbing him from the wrist. She pulled him back and held his nape with one hand, giving him a kiss. Squall fidgeted around nervously; PDA still wasn't coming off too well with him. Rinoa pulled away and winked at him, ignoring his scolding glare.

- _"Have a good day at the office sweetie…" _she said and walked towards the Infirmary entrance.

            Squall shook his head in disbelief and scoffed-slash-chuckled. He turned his heel and made his way towards the elevator.

                                                                                                                        *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

- _"NO!"_

- _"Don't be such a whiner, just help me up!"_

- _"These boots have stepped on Hyne knows **what**! They're **not** touching my brand new jacket!"_

- _"As if you don't get paid enough to get it cleaned! Hell, you get paid enough to buy a dozen new ones!"_

- _"Read my lips: NO – FRICKIN' – WAY!"_

- _"Zell… CUP. YOUR. PALMS!!!"_

            The blond grunted and bent over, mumbling something incoherent. He intertwined his fingers, making a 'cup' for Selphie to step upon. The brunette rested one hand onto his shoulder, pressed the other against the trunk of the tree right next to her and stepped onto his palms with her left boot. Zell grimaced in disgust as he felt, what he hoped was mud, smear on his hands. Selphie pressed her weight against Zell's palms and aided herself up, resting the other foot between an intersection of branches on the trunk of the tree. She hugged one thick branch right above her and stepped onto Zell's shoulder at first. Zell cursed under his breath and grabbed Selphie's other leg from the ankle, boosting her up.

- _"Hyne Selphie, why didn't you wear more practical shoes?!"_ protested Zell _"We're on a mission! And why did y- ARGH!"_ he winced, covering his eyes with one palm.__

- _"What?" _asked Selphie innocently.__

- _"I can see up your damned skirt, that's what!" _he retorted, pointing blindly at the inexistent mini denim skirt she was wearing.__

- _"Then **don't** look!"_ said Selphie irritably and stepped onto his head with her free foot.__

- _"NOT THE HAIR!" _said Zell furiously, a trickle of mud now running down his forehead.__

- _"Stop shouting!" _hissed Selphie, wrapping her legs around the branch she'd been holding on to _"Do you wanna alert everyone of our presence?!"_

- _"Almasy's gonna owe me **big** time after this…" _grunted Zell, trying to wipe his long front bang clean.__

            Selphie skillfully climbed her way up the tree, despite her non-practical attire, making Zell arch an eyebrow at that.

- _"Well, what are you waiting for? A written invitation? C'mon!" _ Selphie beckoned her friend to follow her up the tree.

            Zell sighed and hopped, grabbing a branch suspending right above him. He pulled himself up and followed Selphie.   

                                                                                                                        *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            The amber veil of the dawn had just begun to creep upon the surface of the continent of Centra. The vivid morning light fell warm on Seifer's face, making the blond wince slightly and squint his eyes open. He closed them shut again immediately and shielded his face from the brightness with a spread palm. He gradually got used to it and leaned over the window before him. They were almost there. He could already see the peninsula upon which the old orphanage was built. He smiled as he spotted it as well; the tiniest of white blurs in the horizon, next to the foaming waves of the archipelago resting on its 'feet'. How long was it since he'd been there? Twelve, thirteen years? Hyne, how many memories it brought back… The little use of Guardian Forces he'd made through the years hadn't been able to allow too many memories to slip away, yet the salvo of recollections, now playing in fast forward before his eyes, was always as painful. He rubbed his forehead to ease the white sharp pain in his head and let out a sigh.

            He looked down at Quistis, who was sleeping peacefully in his embrace. She was covered with his long black trench coat, her long hair was flowing past her shoulders, framing part of her face. Seifer raked his fingers through her almost orange locks; she obviously hadn't taken care of herself in quite some time and the crimson color was beginning to wear off from her hair. He smiled. Now that he thought of it, he preferred her as a blonde. Red gave her spunk, but blonde reminded him of the little girl he liked to chase around and whose fair pigtails he used to pull. He gave her a kiss on the top of her head. She was probably the person he linked most of his childhood memories to. Which were possibly the only blissful ones in his still young life. He sighed again. The absence of any carefree reminiscences during his living made him feel old… So old… So old it hurt… It made him wonder; how long did he still have, to live? How long did he still have, to finish what he had started? He looked at Quistis more intently. How long did he still have, to get his life back on track?

                                                                                                                        *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Rinoa was sitting atop the desk in Dr. Kadowaki's office, dressed in the white robe she wore while working there. The doctor had been on a weekly leave and was returning the following day, leaving Rinoa to take care of all the possible patients on her own. Fortunately, so far she hadn't had to deal with any severe cases, just minor casualties. Right now, she had no work that needed to be done and had decided to give Quistis a call. She was holding her baby blue cell-phone right against her ear, waiting for her blonde comrade to answer the call. She toyed around with a raven lock while waiting, until after a few seconds, she heard Quistis' familiar voice on the other end.

- _"Hello?" _

- _"Hey Quisty…" _said Rinoa _"Arrived in Centra yet?"_

- _"Hey Rin." _replied her friend cheerfully _"Yeah, we're at the orphanage. With Matron. Oh, you should all have been here! It's amazing! It's still pretty cold outside, but the day is beautiful!"_

- _"I bet…" _said the young sorceress smiling _"How's Edea?"_

- _"Relaxing, for once in her life… The new orphanage is ready and she's just taking some time to rest before it starts working again." _replied Quistis.

            Rinoa's attention was caught from a gleeful, almost girl-like fit of laughter and the protesting sound of a much heavier voice from Quistis' end of the line.

- _"What's going on there?" _she asked curiously.

- _"Oh that…" _said Quistis rolling her eyes _"Seifer…"_

- _"Who else?" _said Rinoa grinning _"What's he done this time?"_

            Quistis turned to look right behind her. Edea was sitting on a chair outside at the porch, laughing hysterically like a school-girl at the sight before her. Seifer was sitting right across the table from her, so pissed, that steam could almost be seen emitting from his ears. He was ready to lunge himself onto Raijin, who was making fun of him for losing to Edea in Triple Triad by nine to one. Right next to Edea sat Fujin, the broadest of grins plastered on her face as well.

- _"We were all sitting out in the porch and Seifer with Edea played Triple Triad for fun. Seifer lost to her –quite miserably if I may add- and Raijin is making fun of him. I'm counting the seconds until he snaps and takes out his gunblade…" _Quistis replied to Rinoa's previous question.

- _"**That **pissed?" _asked Rinoa chuckling.

- _"Just wait and hear… I'm on four now… Three… Two… One…" _said Quistis.

            Right on cue, Seifer stood up and slid his Hyperion put from his belt. Rinoa heard a panicked yelp as Raijin broke into a run, Seifer on his tail.

- _"I was only kiddin' Seifer, ya know?!"_    

            Rinoa laughed heartily upon hearing Raijin's cries for help. She could just bring the picture to her mind… 

- _"So I take it you're having fun so far?" _she asked.

- _"It's quite relaxing, yes…" _replied Quistis smiling _"Anything to take Seifer's mind off things… When we arrived here today he seemed pretty down. It broke my heart to see him like that…"_

- _"I feel you… Anyway, Squall's taking a late flight to Esthar tonight to see Laguna and talk to him, so we'll probably have access to the on-line library by tomorrow. Are you going to start working in the morning?" _Rinoa asked.

- _"Yeah, probably. Just keep us informed on anything new, alright? I'll be returning from time to time for a bit, to erase any suspicions on Seifer's whereabouts, so I'll see you again soon."_

- _"OK Quisty. We'll call back tomorrow, k? Give my love to everyone, especially Edea. Bye!" _said Rinoa.

- _"I will. Bye Rin."  _

            Quistis terminated the call and walked back to everyone, smiling. Seifer and Raijin had returned to their seats by now, so Quistis went and sat next to a sulking Seifer. She grinned and gave him a kiss on the cheek, making him roll his eyes.

- _"I don't need anyone's pity…" _he mumbled, crossing his arms.

- _"If it makes you feel any better, you can have your card back…" _said Edea, smiling warmly at him, handing him his GF's card.

            Seifer scoffed. Then snatched the Nosferatu card back… 

                                                                                                                        *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

- _ "Zell, I swear, if you let me fall…" _said Selphie irritably.

- _"I said I was holding you tightly!" _hissed Zell behind her.

            Selphie was lying stomach first on a long branch, close to one of the windows of the mansion. Zell was holding her legs so that she wouldn't fall, while she was picking the lock of the window before her. She slid a small nail file between the window's crack, raising the small metal binder that kept the window locked. She smiled and pushed the window open.

- _"Operation complete!" _she whispered excitedly, turning back to give Zell the thumbs up.

            Zell grinned and slowly let go, as she crawled her way inside the room, through the open window. Zell followed right behind her, hopping down on the floor as silently as possible. He adjusted his clothes and glanced around the room, while Selphie slipped the nail file back in her jacket pocket. Zell looked at her and spoke. 

- _"Y'know Selphie…" _he whispered grinning _"Sometimes you can get really scary… Brilliant, but scary…" _

            Selphie smirked superiorly. She glanced around the room as well, sliding her nunchaku behind the waistband of her skirt and quietly made her way to the door. She pressed her ear up against it and remained still for a few seconds, trying to hear what was going on through the other side. After a bit, she pulled back and walked over to Zell.

- _"We've got company…" _said Selphie _"Did you bring everything I asked you?"_

- _"Sir, yes sir." _Zell replied mockingly, digging into his jean pockets.

            He took out the small pouches he'd grabbed before leaving the car, as well as two pairs of leather gloves. He handed Selphie one pouch and a set of gloves, wearing the other one. Selphie slipped her fingers through the gloves and slid the pouch into the back pocket of her skirt. She zipped her jacket pockets open and took out two black ski masks, handing one to Zell. The blond held it in one hand, looking at it bewildered, as the brunette slipped it on.

- _"Umm… What exactly is** this**?"_ he asked.

- _"Duh… They mustn't see our faces you goof. We need to remain subtle and anonymous…"_ retorted Selphie.

- _"Ahh, I see… Hence the whole Tweety-bird outfit on your account…" _said Zell sarcastically. Selphie stuck out her tongue at him.

- _"We only need to hide our faces for a few seconds dummy. Just enough for the Sleep and Silence Powders to take effect…" _she said, patting her skirt pocket.

- _"And… 'ski masks' was the best you could find?" _he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

- _"Just put the damn thing on!" _hissed the brunette.

            Zell shook his head in disbelief and did as he was told.

- _"There." _he said, resting his fisted palms against his hips.

- _"Do you have the Sleep pouch?" _Selphie asked.

- _"Yes, I gave you the Silence one." _

- _"Good. Remember; **I **go first and you follow suit after me."_

- _"Yes Bonnie…" _said Zell wearily _"**Now** what?" _

- _"Now follow me __Clyde__…" _she said in a sinister manner, taking out the small pouch.

            She crept over to the door and placed a gloved palm on the handle. She raised three fingers indicating 'three' and began counting down. The moment her fingers formed 'one', she gave Zell a nod and a meaningful look and busted the door open. Losing no time, she spilled the contents of the small bag in the hallway, where many guards were gathered, rendering them all mute. Right on cue, Zell threw a handful of Sleep Powder, plunging the hallway into blissful slumber. Selphie gave Zell a high-five upon witnessing the success of their plan and followed suit in walking down the hallway silently. She carefully opened the first door they came across, 'weapons' at ready. The door flung open, revealing no-one inside and nothing that concerned the two young SeeDs' mission.

- _"Bedroom…" _whispered Selphie _"We're looking for the study…" _she added, closing the door again.

            She continued to walk down the corridor and stopped once reaching a set of two large doors. She turned and looked at Zell who shrugged and beckoned her to open the door. Selphie took a deep breath and pushed the doors open with slight difficulty. Bingo. The mansion's study. Selphie threw her hands up in excitement, ready to let out a squeal of delight, when Zell's palm rushed over to her mouth and hushed her. The brunette grinned awkwardly at her comrade's scolding glare and stepped inside the room.

            The two friends didn't take long to find the exact place of the 'crime scene' inside the spacious study. Selphie pointed at the far left corner and, passing by the big desk in the middle, she approached the site. She stepped over the yellow ribbon placed by the police around the corner and kneeled down on the carpet, touching the wall with one palm, leaning over to take a closer look. Zell kneeled right next to her, pulling the front of the ski mask up to his forehead. Selphie did so as well and let out a sigh.

- _"So… Your thoughts?" _she asked quietly.

            Zell cocked his head to the side and examined the corner thoroughly. A small round hole had pierced the wall they were facing and a few small cracks lined from the hole to the wall. Zell gently stuck his pinky finger inside the hole and felt resistance almost immediately. He withdrew his finger and lowered his gaze, leveling it with the hole and noticed a small silvery glimmer as the light fell upon it. He lowered his eyes down towards the carpet, where he spotted the brownish outline of some sort of puddle-like stain, which was no longer very apparent on the carpet. The blond turned and looked at Selphie, then spoke.

- _"The bullet's still in the hole." _said Zell _"But something doesn't fit…"_

- _"What?" _asked Selphie.

- _"See the edges of the hole?" _he asked, pointing at it _"They seem too… 'neat'. As if someone pierced the wall on purpose. And the cracks… I've seen bullet holes on walls before and the cracks should have been much deeper and longer than that. Especially if the shot was taken from such a close range like in this case…" _ 

- _"Hmm…" _hummed Selphie, touching the edges of the hole _"Good points…"_

- _"And that carpet-"_ began Zell.

- _"The stain?" _asked Selphie knowingly.

- _"Yeah. I mean, it's more than certain they'd clean it up after investigating the place, but-"_

- _"The stain isn't apparent enough." _added Selphie nodding.

- _"Exactly. Didn't 'Seifer',"_ Zell made air quotes with his fingers _"Supposedly kill the President the night before New Years'?"_

- _"Yup."_

- _"And the body was found the morning **after** New Years'."_

- _"Right." _said Selphie _"The blood should have soaked the carpet by then. It would have been **much** more visible than **that**." _she added, pointing at the carpet.

- _"Precisely…" _agreed Zell _"So our 'boys' are obviously hiding something…"_

- _"Obviously…" _repeated Selphie, taking out a small camera from her pocket.

            She took a few quick shots of the murder site and got up to her feet, putting the camera in place and pulling her mask back down. Zell got up as well and lowered his mask, stepping over the police line taped across the corner. 

- _"So what do we do now?" _he asked Selphie.

- _"I'd like to take a look around the other rooms, see if we can find anything else…" _replied the brunette, walking towards the doors.

            No sooner had she finished her sentence, than they heard footsteps getting steadily louder from the hallway outside. The two SeeDs exchanged knowing looks and stealthily sprinted to each side of the doorway. The stuck their backs against the wall behind them and kept completely silent.     

                                                                                                                        *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

- _"Those sluggish pricks are trying to stall the shift change as much as they can…" _said one guard to the other one walking up the stairway with him.

- _"I don't care… They're gonna drag their lazy asses out to the cold like we've been doing for two hours. Like I'm obliged to guard the entrance all-"_ the other began, but immediately stopped talking once laying eyes upon the sight before him.

            All their colleagues who were supposed to be guarding the rooms of the second floor were now lying down, indulged into a peaceful siesta. The two men exchanged a swift, sharp glance and picked up their pace on the stairs. They approached some of the sleeping men, nudging them to the side, or kicking them lightly to see if they'd budge. To no avail though; none of them were eager to move although they were certainly not dead. The two guards nodded at each other in assent and took out their gunblades. One of them motioned towards the open doors of the study with his chin, quietly making his way there. The other man followed suit on tiptoes, trying to remain as silent as possible. The two guards reached the threshold and hesitated for a couple of seconds, before stepping inside. 

            They had barely taken two steps, when they both fell unconscious to the floor with a thud. Selphie slipped her nunchaku back in place, while Zell grinned and cracked his knuckles, rubbing his slightly sore elbow. Selphie brought her index finger to her lips and slowly poked her head outside, scanning the hallway for any more potential trouble. She crooked a finger, beckoning Zell to follow her as she skidded down the hall, back to the room they'd originally come out from. She trotted inside, closing the door behind them.

- _"There might be more of them. Plus the others are bound to wake up any moment now, so I suggest we skedaddle."_ said Selphie.

- _"Think we've got enough evidence from here?" _asked Zell, following her towards the still ajar window. 

- _"Well, we investigated the crime scene. There's probably not much more we can find here…" _she replied shrugging. 

- _"Alright then, let's go." _he said, pulling the window wide open _"After you…"_

                                                                                                                        *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

- _"…And this last one is from the wall… See the **very** neat outline of the bullet hole?"_

            Selphie was sitting inside Squall and Rinoa's dorm, on their bed, showing Squall the pictures she'd taken in the mansion. She was sitting on Irvine's lap, still dressed in the clothes she'd been wearing ever since that morning. Irvine was holding her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder, looking down at the pictures spread all over the bed as well. Squall and Rinoa were sitting opposite them examining the photos.

- _"Interesting…" _said the young Commander _"These certainly are a start… It's more than evident that they were trying to hide something here…" _he mumbled.

- _"So did anyone see you?" _Rinoa asked worriedly. __

- _"No, we wore masks." _said Selphie proudly _"My idea…"_

            Irvine kissed her on the cheek and smiled warmly at her. Selphie giggled and rubbed her nose against his, Eskimo-like, giving him a peck on the lips. Squall raised his glance upon them, narrowing his eyes and clearing his throat loudly, while Rinoa grinned. The couple turned back to Squall, ending their little tête-à-tête abruptly. 

- _"So that's all you got?" _asked Squall.

- _"Yup. I wanted to take a look around the rest of the rooms, but some guards got in our way, so we decided to hit the road before more came and we got into trouble." _replied Selphie.__

- _"Where's Zell by the way?" _asked Rinoa.__

- _"He went back to his room with Zuka as soon as he got here… I heard him mumble something about mud and the dry-cleaner's…" _said Irvine, a confused look on his face.__

- _"Right… So we're done with the mansion outside Deling." _Squall said matter-of-factly _"What did we decide we'll move on to next, Selphie?"_

- _"Well… We need some Internet research done, but we agreed we'd leave that up to Seifer and Quistis." _said Selphie _"As far as field work is concerned, I suggest we go and question a few witnesses in the city."_

- _"Fair enough… Who's going?" _Squall asked, stacking the pictures in front of him.__

- _"Hey, I could go…" _Irvine suggested.__

- _"Aren't you coming with me to Esthar tonight?" _Squall asked, cocking an eyebrow.__

- _"Well…" _said Irvine grinning _"I didn't get to see my Sefie all day, so I thought…"_ he added, hugging Selphie tighter.Squall rolled his eyes and groaned.__

- _"Fine… Let me do this alone…" _he said crankily, crossing his arms.__

- _"I'd come with you, but I've got work in the Infirmary since the doctor won't be back until tomorrow __noon__…"_ said Rinoa, smiling mischievously. Squall glared at her.__

- _"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" _he asked, his voice cold as ice.__

- _"Very." _Rinoa replied giggling, giving him a kiss on the shoulder.__

- _"Whatever… So who's going with you?" _Squall asked Irvine.__

- _"I could." _piped in Selphie.__

- _"You just got back." _

- _"I don't mind…" _she said shrugging, grinning at Squall.__

- _"Fine, go." _he said nonchalantly.__

- _"So… are we done here?" _asked Irvine.__

- _"Yeah, you can leave." _replied Squall.__

            Selphie hopped off Irvine's lap and adjusted her clothes, while Irvine got up and stood beside her, slipping his hand around her shoulder.

- _ "When are you flying to Esthar?" _asked the cowboy.

- _"In a couple of hours." _replied Squall, stretching a bit.__

            Rinoa bent her head under his outstretched arm and rested it upon his shoulder, while hugging him from the waist with one arm. Squall threw her a scornful look, but put his descending arm around her shoulder anyway.

- _ "Have a safe trip then." _said Selphie _"Give Sir Laguna lotsa kisses!"_ she added, making Squall cock an eyebrow sarcastically.

- _"Night…" _added Irvine, waving at the other couple, as he and Selphie left the room.__

            Squall and Rinoa waved back at them. As soon as the door closed back again, Squall wrapped his other arm around Rinoa and gave her a scolding glare.

- _ "I should be very mad at you now… Traitor…" _he growled at her, resting his forehead against hers.

- _"You know I can't come with you…" _Rinoa said in a mincing manner.__

- _"I know, but that didn't keep you from feeling so excited about me meeting Laguna alone…" _Squall retorted.__

- _"What can I say? I'm a cruel, mean person…" _said Rinoa jokingly.__

- _"No kidding…" _replied Squall, kissing her tenderly on the nose.__

                                                                                                                        *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Quistis was lying atop Seifer, palms resting against his bare chest. She was wearing one of his big T-shirts and her orange locks fell loose upon her shoulders. Seifer was rubbing one crooked finger against her cheek tenderly, looking at her intently. He ran a finger through a stray lock of her hair and played with it.

- _ "The red color's almost off…" _he said.

- _"I know bunny…" _agreed Quistis _"I haven't dyed them in ages… I'll probably get on to it one of these days…"_

- _"Don't. Let them go back to blonde…" _he said softly. __

- _"I thought you preferred it red." _

- _"Nah, I was wrong… You're just… not you without blonde hair…"_ Seifer said.__

            Quistis smiled warmly at him and leaned in to give him a peck on the lips. She rested her head on the crook of his neck, letting him rake his fingers through her hair. She closed her eyes and let out a sigh.

- _ "Y'know…" _said Seifer at some point, making Quistis raise her head back up _"I never thought I'd be spending another night here with you again…"_

- _"Mmm, yes… although I believe that the situation is **slightly** different than what is used to be when we were kids…" _she said jokingly.__

- _"Yeah… You weren't dressed in nothing but my T-shirt back then…" _Seifer said smirking, nuzzling his head into her neck.__

- _"Perve…" _Quistis mumbled, as she felt his lips kiss the tender skin of that area _"I feel awful you know…"_

- _"Why?" _

- _"Because we've defiled the bed that innocent children are going to sleep upon, that's why…" _Quistis replied chuckling.__

- _"As if they're gonna know…"_ said Seifer smirking.__

- _"No, but **I** will know." _

- _"Quisty?"_

- _"Mmm?"_

- _"Shut up." _said Seifer and kissed her deeply.__

            Quistis resisted the urge to smack Seifer and instead buried herself in his arms, the sound of his steady breaths slowly lulling her to sleep…   

* * *

**A/N:** More Seifer and Quistis in the next chappy…

_ON THE NEXT CHAPTER OF 'THE BEGINNING, IS THE END, IS THE BEGINNING':_

_Quis and Sei begin their own investigation back in Centra, trying to unravel the mystery behind Deling and Robinson's pasts… _

_During their research, they come across something intriguing…_


	10. Chapter 8: Family ties and promises

**A/N:** I was too late to update this time, I know… My sincere apologies…

WHEEEEEEEEEEE! **100 **REVIEWS! Awww… You guys… I'm so moved… And it's only 8 chapters yet… *Sniff*  Huge hugzies to all of you!

Mmmkay, now a small disclaimer for this chapter:

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the software Windows, that's all that lucky bastard Bill Gate's propertah… And I also do not own the anti-virus program Kaspersky.**

That's about it. If the PC-dealing disclaimers don't make much sense now, I promise they will later on.

**_Last chapter summary:_**_ Zell and Selphie investigated the murder site in Connelly's holiday mansion and the clues they found there don't match Galbadia's story… _

* * *

* * *

                                                                                    **_~*The Beginning, is the End, is the Beginning*~_**

                                                                                                    A sequel to _'Love Conquers All'_

                                                                                                         By: Sickness in Salvation

**                                                                                              Chapter 8: Family ties and promises**

* * *

* * *

            Laguna shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He crossed his legs and rested his cheek against his balled fist. He sighed and switched legs, resting his other cheek against his other fist. He sighed again and got up from his chair, moving over to the sofa. He sat down and crossed his legs again, folding his arms in front of his chest **_'Too hostile…' _**he thought, and let his arms fall loose **_'Too contradictive…' _**He lifted one leg above the other, uncrossing them and spread them slightly, resting his elbows on the sofa's back **_'Way too casual…' _**He got up again and paced around the room nervously, resuming his sitting position on his chair after a couple of minutes. He crossed his legs and bit his fingernails in anxiety. He slouched himself onto the chair and uncrossed his legs, beginning to rock back and forth along with the chair.

            Kiros glared at him through the corner of his eyes, drumming his fingernails impatiently onto the arm of the other leather couch he was sitting on.

            Laguna kept swinging his chair retrogressively, the creaking sound reaching Kiros' eardrums, giving him a headache. The naturally tanned man rubbed his temples in an attempt to ease the soreness he felt piercing his head. And Laguna just wouldn't stop… After what was surely more than five minutes, the President suddenly lost balance and found himself falling back first onto the marble floor with a thud, the wooden chair accompanying him. Laguna sprang up almost instantly, grinning awkwardly and fixing the chair back in place. He recommenced his pacing along the room, only this time he chose to escort it with a fidgeting clicking sound he made with his tongue.

            The vein that had threatened to pop on Kiros' temple long ago, eventually did. The man slapped his hand hard on the sofa's arm, making Laguna jolt up startled, and got up.

- _ "FOR HYNE'S SAKE! WILL YOU JUST CALM DOWN?!" _he yelled furiously.

- _"Well gee, sorry! I was only a bit anxious…"_ said Laguna, sounding somewhat hurt.

- _"He's just your son! Don't make such a big deal out of it!"_

- _"You know what Squall's like… I just want to make a good impression…" _said Laguna, trying to redeem himself, looking down at his shoes.

- _"Well trust me, you're not going to make it if you keep-"_

- _"Ow, ow! Legcramplegcramplegcramp!" _Laguna winced, hopping on one leg on the spot.

- _"*Sigh* Just try to relax, and it'll go away…" _Kiros advised him, letting him lean against his shoulder.

- _"It hurts… It hurts…"_ he whimpered, clutching Kiros' shoulder hard.

- _ "Ahem…"_

            The two men turned around towards the doorway, where the sound of someone clearing his throat loudly had come from. Much to Laguna's dismay, his son was standing there, staring at him passively, surrounded by two sentries and Ward, who all shared the same bewildered expression.

- _"Squall! Welcome!" _Laguna spat out in what he hoped had come out casual, as he let go of Kiros and stood up on both feet. He stifled a moan of pain and grinned at his son.

- _"Thank you Laguna." _said Squall, sounding as cold as an ice pad.

            Kiros walked over to the threshold, nodded politely at Squall who reciprocated and quietly left the room accompanied by Ward and the two guards. Laguna straightened his clothes and smiled at Squall, who was still standing by the threshold.

- _"C-come in." _stuttered Laguna. 

            Squall slowly walked inside the room, sitting down on the couch Laguna pointed at him. The elder man walked over to a small bar behind the two couches and opened the cabinet above, taking out two glasses. His hand trembled and one of them fell out of his grip and down on the floor, smashing into shards. Squall winced at the sound and rolled his eyes when Laguna grinned at him and rubbed the back of his hair. He took out another glass to replace that one.

- _"I'll clean it up afterwards…" _he mumbled _"Would you like something to drink?"_

- _"Sure. Some scotch will be fine, thanks." _Squall replied.

- _"OK, how do you drink it?" _asked Laguna.

- _"No soda, just a bit of ice."_

- _"Hey, just like I do!" _said Laguna delighted. Squall forced out a grin.

            He watched Laguna fix their drinks, then walk over to the sofas, sitting right across him. He handed him his drink and sat down.

- _"Cheers." _said Laguna cheerfully, raising his glass.

- _"Cheers." _mumbled Squall, taking a sip from his drink.

- _"So how have you been?" _asked Laguna, trying to make idle conversation.

- _"I've been OK…" _Squall replied casually, shrugging.

- _"How's work?"_

- _"Not as interesting as I though it would be when I agreed to take this position… All I do is paperwork…" _replied Squall.

- _"Would you prefer that you'd have trouble going on so that you'd have more real work to do?" _Laguna asked, only half-joking.

- _"Sometimes yes." _replied Squall earnestly.

- _"Be careful what you wish for. You might actually get it." _said Laguna grinning, taking a sip of whisky. 

- _"I guess so…" _replied Squall, his lips upturning the slightest.

- _"And how's Rinoa?" _asked Laguna, his face lightening up.

- _"She's good…" _replied Squall, blushing a bit _"She got a job at the Infirmary and is getting quite good at it."_

- _"Glad to hear it. Send her my **very** warm regards." _

- _"I will."_ Squall replied. Laguna bit his lip and looked at Squall mischievously.

- _"So when are you two planning on getting hitched? I'd like to see some grandchildren before I shut my eyes for ever…" _he blurted out.

            Squall's eyes widened saucer-like and the drink quickly abandoned his mouth through mouth and nose in a snort. Laguna laughed heartily. 

- _"I was only kidding!" _he said smiling broadly _"You're both too young to get married and I'm certainly too young to start thinking about dying, right?"_

- _"Don't count on it…" _Squall spat at him venomously, wiping his mouth and nose clean.__

            Laguna ignored his spiteful remark and laughed again. Squall set his glass down on the coffee table in front of him and straightened out his clothes.

- _"We're here to talk about business, right?" _Squall said sternly, trying to change the subject.

- _"Of course, of course…" _agreed Laguna, stopping laughing and clearing his throat _"I'm listening."_

                                                                                                                        *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            The sound of his boots clattering against the concrete floor pierced through the eerie silence of the corridor. He ran a gloved hand through his short blond locks and brushed away a couple of stray hairs that had fallen on the shoulders of his black uniform. He reached the double oak doors and twisted the handle, without even knocking. He walked inside the great living room looking around. His eyes fell on the lonely female figure, sprawled across the lavish couch, engrossed into a book. The woman's concentration was broken by the creaking of the double doors and her gaze turned upon him.

- _"Can I help you Tidus?" _she asked politely, although the hint of sarcasm was evident in her voice.

- _"Did I interrupt your reading Miss Chang?"_ Tidus asked smirking.

- _"Obviously." _said the woman, getting up from the sofa, walking over to a mini-bar cart, located near her. She grabbed a bottle of Absolut with her bandaged hand and poured some into her glass _"You didn't answer my question though; can I help you with something?"_

- _"I was looking for Mr. Robinson and I guessed I'd find him here with you. Where is he?"_ asked Tidus.

- _"He has retired to his room upstairs." _replied the woman, taking a long sip of vodka. 

- _"How come you haven't joined him yet? It's already past __1 a.m.__"_ Tidus asked, his voice dripping with disdain.

- _"What I do or **not** do, is none of your business Tidus." _spat back the woman venomously _"You may go now."_

- _"I thing we haven't made things very clear around here…" _said Tidus ominously, walking over to her _"**We** don't take orders from anyone. **Anyone**." _he hissed, grabbing a handful of her long blond hair _"Especially not from insolent sluts like you who should watch their tongue if they know what's good for them."_

            The woman's eyes shined in fury, but she didn't dare move. Tidus let go of her hair and strode back towards the doorway. He turned around once before leaving and spoke.

- _"Now why don't you act like the nice little whore you are and go 'entertain' Mr. Robinson?" _he suggested smirking and closed the doors behind him.

            The woman glared at the closed doors. She ran a hand through her blond locks and tried to hold back a tear now forming into her eyes. She bit her bottom lip hard, stifling the moan clinging into her throat. She started breathing hard through clenched teeth, anger welling up inside her. Suddenly, she threw her glass at the door in exasperation. The crashing sound of the glass breaking and falling into shards down to the carpet, covered her long-dragged sob, as she fell down on her knees defeated…

                                                                                                                        *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Seifer stirred around in bed. The bright morning light stung his eyes, making him wince and roll over. Blindly, he extended his arm towards the other side of the bed, expecting it to wrap around the sleeping form of Quistis, but instead it landed on an empty spot on the mattress. Puzzled, the blond cracked an eye open, only to find Quistis' side vacant. He rubbed his eyes lazily and raised his torso from the bed, looking around the room with eyes half open.

- _"Quis?" _he mumbled sleepily.

            No response. He rolled over again, so that he was lying on his back and sat up on the bed. He sniffed and rubbed his eyes again, then slowly got up. His bare feet made contact with the cold floor underneath, sending shivers all over his body. He grabbed the T-shirt Quistis was wearing the previous night, which was now resting on the bottom board of the bed. He slipped it on and made his way out of the room. He walked down the short narrow corridor, looking around sluggishly. He was just passing by the small common room, when the sound of typing caught his attention. He stopped on his tracks and poked his head through the doorframe, finding Quistis lying on one of the couches there, typing on her laptop. She had her back turned at him and didn't see or hear him approaching her.

            Seifer moved close to the couch, kneeled down and kissed her shoulder lightly. Quistis jumped up in surprise and turned around abruptly, only to find Seifer grinning at her. She gave him a scowl at first, then a soft peck on the lips.

- _"Morning… What are you doing here?" _Seifer asked.

- _"Rinoa called earlier." _Quistis replied _"Squall went to Esthar last night and got the password for the on-line Library, so that we can do some research here."_

- _"I see… So what are you looking for?" _

- _"I thought I'd start with a bit of info on Deling. I'm reading an article about him right now." _

- _"We'll do it together later. Right now I need some breakfast." _Seifer stated, closing the lid of her laptop shut.

- _"Go ahead and have some, I'll read this article and-"_

- _"I want company." _he interrupted her, pouting his bottom lip mincingly.

            Quistis grabbed both his cheeks and kissed him, then got up from the sofa mumbling something that sounded an awful lot like 'Big baby'. Seifer held her hand, grinning, and walked down to the kitchen with her. They stepped inside the cozy, luminous room, finding Edea, Fujin and Raijin already there, drinking coffee and discussing.

- _"Well look who decided to finally interrupt his beauty sleep…" _said Fujin sarcastically.

- _"Bite me Fuj…"_ Seifer retorted, grabbing a seat next to Edea.

- _"She's right ya know? It's __11:35__ already." _added Raijin.

            Seifer grabbed a piece of toast and began buttering it, glaring at Raijin ominously.

- _"Coffee anyone?" _Edea asked, smiling.

- _"I'll have some Edea, thanks." _said Quistis, getting up from her seat to get a mug from the cupboard.

- _"None for me, I'll just have some milk… Fucking coffee makes me stay up all night…" _replied Seifer, reaching out for the big carton on the table.

- _"Seifer!" _Edea scolded at his cursing.

- _"Sorry Matron…" _Seifer said apologetically. Fujin and Raijin stifled a snigger _"What's so Hyne damn funny?" _Seifer asked, squeezing the carton a bit harder than appropriate. Quistis resumed her seating position and mildly removed the carton from Seifer's grip.

- _"Oh nothing…" _Fujin replied, trying hard to keep a straight face. Next to her Raijin had gone scarlet-faced.

- _"Stop it you two." _Edea told them off gently, grinning _"You haven't stopped teasing Seifer the moment you got here…"_

- _"I guess we've just missed spending time with him, ya know?" _Raijin said, going serious all of a sudden.

            Seifer seemed to be caught off guard at Raijin's reply and so did everyone else. Silence overtook them for a few minutes, until Quistis decided to break the ice.

- _"Rinoa had some good news about Selphie and Zell's investigation…" _she said cheerfully.

- _"Really? What?" _asked Seifer eagerly.

- _"Well, they said that the supposed murder site seemed to have some 'flaws' that didn't add up to Galbadia's story." _replied Quistis.

- _"What I don't understand is, why lie about it in the first place? Why does it matter **where** he was killed in order to frame Seifer?" _asked Edea.

- _"That's something that has been bugging me as well." _admitted Quistis _"But the good news is that we're now certain they've got something to hide…"_  

                                                                                                                        *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Seifer was lying on one of the couches in the common room, his chin resting on Quistis' shoulder and his arms wrapped around her waist. She had her back resting against his chest, sitting between his spread legs, her computer lying on her lap.

- _"Done?" _Seifer asked her.

- _"Yeah, I read it. Nothing much in here though. I don't think we'll find anything on him." _Quistis replied, closing the window of the article on Zenton Deling.

- _"Try that Robinson __guy.__" _suggested Seifer.

- _"What's his full name?" _asked Quistis.

- _"Anton Robinson." _

- _"OK…" _Quistis said, typing the name inside the search box. She hit 'search' and waited for a couple of seconds.

            A quite big list of links presented itself almost immediately. The search had found about 50 results on Anton Robinson.

- _"Most of them are probably newspaper clippings from the recent events." _said Seifer _"We're looking for older info on him…"_

- _"Obviously… But these links aren't categorized by date, right?" _asked Quistis.

- _"No, it's got to do with the tags in the website that the search engine-"_ began Seifer.

- _"OK, OK I got it… I'll just try the first one." _interrupted Quistis, annoyed that for the first time someone knew more than she did.

            As expected, the first link was from a newspaper clipping about the recent release of Deling's faction from D-District prison. Quistis scrolled down the article, stopping at a picture of Robinson with a woman, right outside the Prison.

- _"Is that him?" _Quistis asked.

- _"Yeah…" _replied Seifer, his eyes narrowing.

- _"That's the blonde woman we saw in the news, right?" _asked Quistis. Seifer nodded _"Who is she?"_

- _"Says right underneath the picture…" _replied Seifer, leaning closer to the screen _"'Anton Robinson hugging Faris Chang outside D-District prison.' Faris Chang."_

- _"Note that down somewhere. We'll look her up later." _said Quistis, closing the window of that article.

- _"I don't need to, I'll remember it." _said Seifer.

- _"It wouldn't hurt to write it down though, would it?"_ asked Quistis, glaring at him.

- _"I said I'll remember it! FarisChangFarisChangFarisChangFarisChang-" _began Seifer, irritating Quistis to the bone.

- _"OK, fine!" _she said exasperated, turning her attention to the list of links again.

            Seifer grinned and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Quistis just ignored him and continued skimming through the links. Seifer kissed her again, lingering more that time, sucking on her cheek.

- _"Stop it!"_ snapped Quistis, trying to sound aggravated, although Seifer noticed her lips upturning slightly.

- _"You know you liked it." _he said grinning.

- _"We've got work to do…"_ Quistis said, changing the subject.

            Seifer groaned and turned his attention back on the screen.

                                                                                                                        *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

- _ "…That was the last one." _said Quistis, closing the window of the search page _"So what do we have so far?"_

- _"Not much. We do know that he was the leader of Vinzer Deling's youth faction in his teens, fascist little bastard… That's it in a nutshell." _replied Seifer.__

- _"Yeah… Well, I've got pretty much everything we might need saved in a folder on the desktop." _said Quistis _"OK, so we've done Deling, we've done Robinson… Anyone else worth looking up?"_

- _"No, not really. Those two are the heads of the group; I doubt any of the rest will be of any importance."_

- _"We should look them up though." _said Quistis.__

- _"Well we've done a lot of work for today; we've been reading articles for almost four hours… We can look them up tomorrow."_

- _"I suppose you're right…" _admitted Quistis, rubbing her sore eyes _"Oh! I almost forgot! We said we'd look up Robinson's old girlfriend. We'll just do that and rest afterwards, OK?"_

- _"OK…" _agreed Seifer yawning.__

- _"What was her name again?" _asked Quistis, re-opening the search page.__

- _"Uhh… Wait… I think it was…" _mumbled Seifer, rubbing the back of his hair. Quistis glared at him threateningly _"I'm kidding! I told you I'd remember it. It's Faris Chang."_

            Quistis shook her head in disbelief and typed in the name, hitting 'Search'. It came up with only five results.

- _"The first four are the same we found on Deling and Robinson. All from newspapers." _said Seifer.

- _"Yeah, you're right… I guess we only have one left then." _Quistis said, squinting her eyes to make out the URL underneath the link _"It says: 'www' dot 'Aidra' dot com." _ she added. __

- _"'Aidra'? What the hell is 'Aidra'?"_ asked Seifer.__

- _"Beats __me.__" _said Quistis shrugging, clicking on the link _"Let's find out."_

            The link opened up a page in a sub-category of the main one, in which one could view Faris Chang's profile. There was a much younger picture of her there, some personal data on her, like date and location of birth, as well as another link on her 'activities'.

- _"'Activities'?" _asked Quistis.

- _"Looks like we've stumbled upon another group." _Seifer guessed _"Click it."_

            Quistis did so and waited for the page to load. They waited… and waited and waited… Seifer grew irritated at some point and made a move to hit the 'Refresh' button. To his surprise, the computer screen seemed to have frozen. 

- _"What the hell?" _Quistis said puzzled and tried to close the window.

            Nothing. The mouse cursor wouldn't even budge. Quistis hit Ctr+Alt+Del and restarted the computer through the Task Manager. She ran a hand through her hair as the computer loaded the software and sighed.

- _"That was… weird…" _said Seifer, looking at her.

- _"It happens to computers all the time." _replied Quistis casually.

- _"Yeah, but it happened right when we clicked on that link." _Seifer said suspiciously.

- _"Don't be ridiculous. I'm sure it had noth-"_ Quistis began, but never finished her sentence.

            Her laptop had just finished loading the software, when a window appeared, saying that the file 'System32.exe' could not be found. Quistis frowned. She opened the search program and ran a search on the supposedly missing file. The search returned no results.

- _"But I didn't erase the file!" _Quistis said exasperated, opening the explorer to locate it herself.

- _"Quisty, do me a favor." _Seifer piped in, interrupting her _"Run your anti-virus program and scan your disks."_

- _"What for? You don't think-"_

- _"Just do it." _Seifer insisted.

            Quistis sighed and did as she was told. They waited for a couple of seconds until a new window popped up. Quistis read it.

- _"File 'C:\My Documents\Garden\Class 4B\Class Schedule.doc' infected by 'Worm P2P'" _she read.__

- _"Told ya." _

            Quistis looked at the screen in awe as more and more windows popped up, informing her of infected files.

_File 'C:\Program Files\Kaspersky Lab\Kaspersky Anti-Virus Personal Pro\Infected\Introduction.doc' infected by 'Worm P2P'_

- _ "WHAT?!" _exclaimed Quistis.

- _"Aw shit… It's even infected the anti-virus program…"_ Seifer said.

- _"How can it do that?!" _asked Quistis bewildered.

- _"It's a fucking 'worm'. It'll start easing its way through every last one of your files until there's no more to destroy…" _said Seifer, looking concerned.

- _"And I got it merely by clicking on that link?" _Quistis asked flabbergasted.__

- _"Obviously 'someone' doesn't want that information revealed." _replied Seifer _"Shut the PC down, there's nothing we can do about it." _

            Quistis sighed, accepting defeat and closed down her computer.

- _"Well there goes everything we discovered today…" _she said disappointedly.

- _"That's easy to recover. We'll just tell the others to cover it."_ said Seifer_ "The real issue here is how we'll be able to research that wench Chang with that virus lurking around…" _

                                                                                                                        *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Shizuka was sitting behind the counter at the Library, reading a book, her cheek resting against her balled fist in boredom. She took a bite off her bagel; even her immensely slow chewing betrayed her ennui. Suddenly, her cell-phone rang, making her jolt up in surprise. She picked it up and answered the call.

- _"Hello? *Pause* Oh hi Quistis! How are you? *Pause* Yeah, we're all good *Pause* Sure, I'll be glad to do it! Just gimme a second to write it down." _said the young brunette, reaching into her bag for a notepad and a pen _"OK, shoot *Pause* Zenton Deling and Anton Robinson…" _she said, scribbling it all down _"What was that? *Pause* OK, Faris Chang… Alright *Pause* Aidra… Uh-huh *Pause* Why not? *Pause* What?! Seriously?! *Pause* I see… *Pause* Yeah, I'll be careful *Pause* OK, bye."_

            Shizuka terminated the call and immediately grabbed the phone of the Library, dialing the number to Squall's office. After a few rings, Xu answered the phone.

- _"Commander Squall Leonhart's office, how may I help you?" _

- _"Hello Miss Xu, I'd like to talk to the Commander. Tell him Shizuka from the library is calling." _Zuka said.

- _"I believe he's a bit busy right now, is this urgent?" _asked Xu.

- _"Yes. Tell him I'm calling about the matter we discussed about last night." _

- _"Alright, hold on…" _said Xu. Shizuka waited to get connected to Squall's office, biting her nails in anxiety.

- _"Shizuka?" _came Squall's voice after a few seconds.

- _"Hey Squall." _replied the brunette _"I just got a call from Quistis about the research she and Seifer did."_

- _"Anything interesting?" _

- _"She said they didn't find much on Deling and Robinson. Only a few articles on Robinson's early activities while in Vinzer Deling fascist faction. **But**, they did come across something very weird…"_

- _"What?"_ asked Squall intrigued.

- _"Remember that blonde woman we saw on the news hugging Robinson the other day?"_ she asked.

- _"Yeah, what about her?"_

- _"Her name is Faris Chang_._ Turns out she's an old girlfriend of Robinson's._ _They did some research on her, but when they came across some site about a group she was in during her late teens, their computer 'mysteriously' got infected by a virus." _narrated Shizuka.

- _"Really now? How convenient… Blame it on the Internet viruses…" _said Squall.

- _"Indeed. So now they pretty much lost everything they came across and asked me to retrieve it and see if I can try and find anything on Chang." _said Shizuka.

- _"I see… Well, start working as soon as you can then. And do me a favor; call the others and tell them to meet over for lunch. We have a lot to discuss." _said Squall.

- _"Alright, I'll see you at lunch then. Bye." _said Shizuka.

- _"Bye."_

                                                                                                                        *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_A few days later…_

            Quistis yawned and stretched as she walked down the corridor, towards the kitchen. She walked inside, finding Edea sitting there, sipping some coffee while reading a book.

- _"Good morning Quisty." _said Edea, smiling at her.

- _"Good morning Matron." _said Quistis, sitting across her on the table _"Where is everyone? I woke up and Seifer wasn't there; I'm always the one waking up first and I didn't find Fujin and Raijin anywhere…"_

- _"Fujin and Raijin left back for Winhill this morning." _replied Edea.

- _"Aw, no… I wanted to say goodbye…" _said Quistis disappointed.

- _"I know dear, but they had to go. They shouldn't be gone for too long, or suspicions will arise around them." _said Edea.

- _"What about Seifer?" _asked Quistis.

- _"He woke up early to say goodbye to Fujin and Raijin and then went for a walk." _replied the Matron.

- _"A walk? Did he say where?" _asked Quistis, sipping some juice she had just poured into her glass.

- _"To the cemetery." _

- _"What? Why?" _

- _"It's not my place to say. Why don't you go keep him some company?" _suggested Edea _"I'm sure he needs it. He'll tell you all about it there."_

- _"Sure, OK… Where is the cemetery?" _asked Quistis.

- _"Just straight down to your right from the flower field. About a five-minute walk."_

- _"Alright. I'll go get dressed." _said Quistis getting up.

- _"Just make sure you dress warmly. It's cold outside." _said Edea gingerly, turning her attention back to her book.

                                                                                                                        *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Seifer wasn't aware how long he'd been staring at the two tombstones before him. The silence of the cemetery was almost ghostly. Small marble pillars emerged from the yellowy grass, standing grimly still. In contrast to the environment, Seifer's facial features weren't stiff, but mild and relaxed; almost smiling. The chilly breeze was whipping his bare cheeks mercilessly, making his face flush from the cold. The neckline of his black trench coat was pulled up and his hands were buried inside his pockets for warmth, even though he wore his leather gloves.

            A sudden sound of steps against the crispy grass made him turn around abruptly. He saw Quistis approaching him wrapped tightly inside a long brown coat, a pink woolen scarf tied around her neck, her hair caught in a loose ponytail.

- _"What are you doing out in the cold kitten?" _Seifer asked in concern, once she approached him.

- _"Edea told me I'd find you here."_ replied Quistis, wrapping her arm around his _"Why are you here?"_ she asked.

            Seifer didn't reply, just pointed at the two tombstones he'd been staring at for hours. Quistis turned her gaze towards what he was showing her. Her eyes widened.

            _Here lies Gabriel Almasy,_

_            beloved husband and father_

_            1960 – 1997_

And right next to that…

            _Here lies Grace Almasy,_

_            beloved wife and mother_

_            1962 – 1997  _

            Quistis didn't know what to say; she'd always been under the impression that Seifer had lost his parents in a car crash when he was only five and then came to the orphanage. But the dates didn't match. The tombstones said that his parents had died when he was… twelve?

- _"But…" _Quistis mumbled _"I… I thought that…"_

- _"Yeah I know…" _said Seifer calmly _"You all knew that my parents had died in a car crash much earlier. I did too."_

- _"But, that means-"_

- _"That I wasn't raised by my real parents, yeah. Thank Hyne…" _he said, chuckling nervously.

            Quistis tightened her grasp on Seifer's hand in comfort. After being together for some time, he had revealed to her that he had hated his parents. Or as it turned out the people he **thought** were his parents. His father was always drunk and his mother just didn't give a damn. She wasn't around much anyway. The day they both died she had told her husband she was leaving him to go live with someone else. Seifer had overheard her talking about it with him on the phone. When they went out together that evening, Seifer knew his father would come back alone. Or worse, they'd both come back and fight relentlessly like they always did. He was wrong though; none of them ever came back. Seifer always supposed that his father crashed the car –either purposely or by accident- while driving drunk out of his mind.

- _"Edea told me the whole story…" _Seifer said suddenly, his voice barely above a whisper _"She didn't know at first either. Apparently, my real parents had to give me up when I was only a few months old because my father was involved in the war. They had to be on the run all the time and they didn't want to risk my life. They gave me up for adoption to my father's brother and the rest is, well… history."_

- _"But why didn't your step-parents tell you the truth?" _asked Quistis softly.

- _"I guess they wanted to protect my father. Probably the only good deed they **ever** did…"_

- _"So… how did your real parents die?" _Quistis asked hesitantly.

- _"Edea says they were captured a few years before the war ended and were kept imprisoned for years, until they tried to escape. They didn't make it too far…" _

            Quistis hugged Seifer's arm even tighter, resting her head onto his shoulder.

- _"I feel terrible for saying this, but… I'm glad they died during the war." _Seifer said.

- _"Why?"_

- _"Well…" _Seifer began, looking at the ground guiltily _"When I came here, all of you were the orphans of war heroes. Your parents had either been forced to give you up, or they had died for a noble cause. And me… I was just this kid whose parents were scumbags that died drunk in a car crash. It made me so Hyne damn jealous… I hated it. And I always feared I'd end up becoming like my parents; a worthless loser who either drank or screwed anything that moved to pass the time…" _

            Quistis let go of Seifer's arm and hugged him tightly from the waist.

- _"You're really stupid, you know that?" _she said, half-furious, half-sad.

            Seifer grinned awkwardly and wrapped his arms around her, resting his head against hers. He closed his eyes and sighed.

- _"I feel like my life is finally piecing itself back in place… I'm getting 'reunited' with the people I love most…" _he mumbled _"Although I can't say I love my parents since I've practically never met them, it feels good to know they didn't want to give me up. Makes me like them at the very least…" _he said chuckling. Quistis laughed as well _"And then there's you…"_

- _"What do you mean 'me'?" _Quistis asked raising her gaze up at him _"You always had me."_

- _"True, but I didn't really **have** you until recently…" _he said meaningfully.

- _"But now you do…" _she replied smiling at him.

- _"Yeah I do… I have you…"_

- _"We have each other."_ she corrected him.

- _"Yeah…" _Seifer said, running his fingers through a stray lock that hung down her face _"Tell you what; when all this is over we'll leave everything behind." _he said suddenly. 

- _"And go where?" _Quistis asked grinning.

- _"I dunno, just away from it all. Only the two of us. Start a life together." _he said. Quistis laughed.

- _"And were do you suggest we go?"_

- "_I was thinking… a house by the sea, quiet, secluded… So that no-one bothers us and we can live in peace." _

- _"You think?" _Quistis asked smiling; she didn't know if he was serious or joking around.

- _"Yeah, it'd be great… Maybe a place outside Balamb, so you can see you annoying friends from time to time if you want to…" _Seifer said smirking. Quistis laughed again.

- _"**My** 'annoying friends'? I thought they were yours too…"_

- _"Sure, whatever… So… What do you say?" _he asked.

- _"Are you serious?"_

- _"Of course I am. What, you think I'd be messing with you for something like this?"_ he said, sounding a bit offended.

- _"OK…" _said Quistis nodding, not believing she was agreeing to this _"Yeah, let's do it… Let's go away…"_

- _"You mean it?" _Seifer asked smiling. Quistis nodded_ "Just like I dreamed it. Me… you… and the sunset…" _

- _"Promise?" _asked Quistis. Seifer leaned close to her.

- _"Promise." _he whispered, brushing his lips against hers.

* * *

**A/N:** I wanna say a couple of things here too…

The whole virus thingy is **completely** based on a recent personal experience… Uh-huh… Damned worm forced me to do a frickin' format…

I know the last scene was on the mushy edge, but I thought it was really 'AW!' so I wrote it.

Last: The first person who can tell me where we can find the 'pairing' Gabriel-Grace (from which Seifer's parents' names came from) gets to appear as an extra on this story :-p  

_ON THE NEXT CHAPTER OF 'THE BEGINNING, IS THE END, IS THE BEGINNING':_

_Selphie and __Irvine__ interrogate witnesses in Deling…_


	11. Chapter 9: Secrets held within

**A/N: **'Ello my pretties…

Hope you've had a pleasant weekend… Mine was crap since the Republicans won the elections… :-p 

BTW, we've had a small change of plans. I know I said that in this chapter you'd read about Irv and Selph questioning witnesses, but I realized that it would be…. BORING. So I took my beta's advice and picked up the pace of the story a bit. This was supposed to be the chapter after the one with the witnesses, but there was no point in delaying it. So there ya go. Oh, and the '****' indicate there's text missing. You'll see what I mean.

**_Last chapter summary:_**_ Quistis and Seifer come very close in revealing something about Faris Chang's past. Meanwhile, Seifer reveals to Quistis the true story of his childhood and gives her a promise. _

* * *

* * *

                                                                                    **_~*The Beginning, is the End, is the Beginning*~_**

                                                                                                    A sequel to _'Love Conquers All'_

                                                                                                         By: Sickness in Salvation

**                                                                                                   Chapter 9: Secrets held within**

* * *

* * *

            Quistis buttoned up her brown coat tightly. She glanced around the room, checking if she was leaving anything behind. The full suitcase stood against the wooden wardrobe across her. Quistis slipped her hand in her pocket and retrieved a folded piece of paper. She stepped over to the bed, where the tall frame of a sleeping Seifer was laid. She covered his bare chest up with the blanket and left the note on the pillow next to him. Ever-so-gently, she leaned in and kissed him on the forehead, softly raking a hand through his fair spikes of hair. Seifer didn't stir. Quistis walked over to the wardrobe and grabbed her suitcase. She made her way to the doorway, taking one last look at Seifer before she left. Edea was waiting for her at the entrance, dressed in her sleeping gown, a thick woolen stole wrapped around her bare shoulders. 

- _"I'm off, Matron." _she said, letting her suitcase rest on the floor momentarily _"Tell Seifer I'll be back as soon as possible."_

- _"Why can't you stay until he wakes up? He'll be very disappointed…" _Edea said, as Quistis hugged her.

- _"Squall called early and said I should get there as soon as possible." _the blonde replied _"My absence is starting to look suspicious."_

- _"As you wish my daughter. Call me when you arrive, alright?" _the older woman said.

- _"I will. Bye Matron." _Quistis replied, picking up her suitcase, stepping outside the small white building. 

****

                                                                                                                        *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            The blonde Instructor ran her fingers down the cold window of the SeeD aircraft, as the first morning rays lightened up the horizon. Suddenly, her cell-phone rang, piercing the up to now eerie silence inside the airborne craft. She retrieved it from her coat pocket and answered the call.

- _"Hello?"_

- _"Quistis? This is Squall. Where are you?" _her brown-haired friend asked.__

- _"I'm airborne. Left about twenty minutes ago." _replied Quistis.__

- _"Good, good. Just calling to fill you in. Rinoa will be waiting for you outside Deling. You should be there in about seven hours. Take the time difference into consideration too, and you'll be there late at night." _Squall said _"Make sure you get some rest."_

- _"I will, Squall." _Quistis replied, rubbing her sore temples.__

- _"Right. You go in, complete the operation and then head straight back to Garden. It should take very long. Sorry to drag you from Centra and send you off in a mission immediately, but I can't send anyone else. Irvine and Selphie have already left to go question witnesses, Zell has classes to teach and obviously, I can't go."_

- _"It's alright." _Quistis reassured him _"Besides, I've been dying for something to do all this time. I **will** be able to return to Centra though, right?"_

- _"As promised, you'll spend a couple of days here to appear clean, and then you can go back." _the young Commander replied.__

- _"Great. Is that all?"_

- _"Yes, that's all. Give Rinoa a call when you're getting there, alright?"_

- _"OK. Bye Squall."_

- _"Bye."_

****

                                                                                                                        *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The silence outside the Deling Mortuary was only disturbed by the rumor of leaves, slowly swaying to the light breeze which blew that night. A small squirrel wandered around the roots of the tree right outside the building. All of a sudden, a pair of boots hit the ground with a thud, making the animal squeak and dash away. Another thud, and a second figure joined the first one. Both were dressed in black, bodies totally covered. Only their eyes were left bare. The tallest one stealthily moved towards the tree, resting its back against it. The other one followed.

- _"No guards outside." _Quistis whispered to Rinoa.

- _"Alright. On the count of three, we make a run for it." _replied the brunette _"One, two, three!"_

            The two women dashed as silently as possible towards the entrance, sticking their backs against the wall once there. Footsteps were heard from inside the building, through the door. Quistis moved a finger to her covered lips. The sentry standing behind the counter at the reception had gotten up and was now walking towards the entrance, to check out the hardly audible disturbance he'd heard. Rinoa took out a white hanky and a small bottle, pouring some liquid onto the hanky. The door opened and the guard's head poked out. Quistis gave Rinoa a firm nod and grabbed the guard's front shirt, pulling him forward. The man stumbled and fell to the ground. Right on cue, Rinoa rushed over to him and covered his mouth and nose with the wet hanky. The man struggled in protest for a few seconds, but soon passed out.

- _"We've got about an hour, before he wakes up." _Quistis said _"Let's make the most of it."_

            Rinoa nodded and made a nod towards the fence. Angelo dashed towards his mistress within seconds. Rinoa pet his head and pointed her index finger in front of her lips. Angelo remained silent. Quistis pushed the glass front door open and walked inside, silently followed by Rinoa and her dog. The blonde skidded towards the stairway, ascending up as quietly as possible. She stuck her back against the wall and slipped her hand into her pocket. She retrieved a big piece of paper, unfolding it. She showed it to Rinoa, pointing at the room on the floor above they should be heading to. Rinoa nodded and Quistis folded the blueprints of the building that Shizuka had given to Rinoa. The Instructor went up the remaining last steps, keeping her ears peeled for any sounds. Carefully, she scanned the corridor in front of her. A guard had just passed by and was heading down the hallway, with his back turned to them. Quistis beckoned Rinoa to step up with her index finger and made a run towards the door they wanted. Acting quickly, she slid a credit card through the crack of the door, unlocking it. Hastily, she stepped inside and motioned to Rinoa to wait. She looked down at the hallway and saw the guard turning to the right, disappearing to another corridor many feet away. Quistis nodded and Rinoa dashed into the open door, closely followed by Angelo. When they were both safely inside, Quistis closed the door behind them.

****

                                                                                                                        *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Rinoa's gloved fingers flew through the dusted files inside the large cabinet **_'Dammit… Why did Connelly's last name have to begin with a 'C'?! There must be thousands of files in here!' _**she thought. The small black torch was now wedged between her clenched teeth, lighting the cabinet. Angelo was standing on his hind legs and had his front paws resting on the edge of the cabinet. Quistis was right next to her, looking into another cabinet containing the files of people's names that started with a 'C'. **_'Cibil, Cidoran, Cininstra, oof, Connor … oops, missed it…Conel, Connelly… Oh! Connelly, Sirius! Got it!' _**Rinoa thought.

- _"Quisty, I found it!" _whispered Rinoa excitedly, pulling out the file, accompanied by a cloud of dust.

****

****

            The two girls coughed and fanned the air in front of them to rid the dust. Rinoa handed Quistis the file, who opened it and skimmed along till she reached the autopsy report.

- _"There we are…" _said Quistis creasing her forehead _"Here's what it says:"_

* * *

                                                                                                                                 Office of Chief Medical Examiner

                                                                                                                           Deling County Medical Examiner's District 

                                                                                                                                         Deling County, Galbadia 

                                                                                                                     4 Privet Drive, Deling City, Galbadia 79734-4049

                                                                                                                              (817) 945-8999 FAX (817) 945-4932 

**                                                                                                                                          AUTOPSY REPORT **

                                                                                                                                 NAME: SIRIUS F. CONNELLY

**Case No:** 981110T

**Approximate Age:** 52 years

**Height:** 70 inches

**Weight:** 170 pounds

**Sex:** Male

            We hereby certify that on the thirty-first day of December 2003, pursuant to Statute 49.25 of Galbadia Criminal Code, an autopsy on the body of Sirius F. Connelly was performed at the Deling County Medical Examiner's Office in Deling City, Galbadia and upon investigation of the essential facts concerning the circumstances of the death and history of the case, we are of the opinion that the cause of death was as follows: 

**CAUSE OF DEATH:** MULTIPLE CUTS INFLICTED ON CHEST, FATAL GUNSHOT WOUND ON HEAD 

**MANNER OF DEATH:** UNNATURAL 
    
    **ANATOMICAL SUMMARY:  **
    
      I.  Gunshot wound of head, through-and-through.
    
          A.  Entry – center of forehead, contact wound.
    
          B.  Course – skin, front retro-orbital, frontal bone, right above nasal bone, back (retro) orbit.
    
          C.  Exit – back of skull.
    
          D.  Trajectory – front to back.
    
     II. Gunblade wounds on chest (17)
    
          A.  Course - chest wall, left hemithorax,       
    
          B.  Trajectory - downward 45 degrees, right to left.
    
          C.  Fractures of left 6th and 8th ribs.

                                                                                                                                                    *******

**COMMENT**: 

Mr. Sirius F. Connelly was 52 years of age at the time of his death. He was discovered in his Holiday Mansion in the Outskirts of Deling City already deceased, in his study. The exact downtime is estimated around 02:00 a.m. on the 31st of December 2003. The Forensics vehicle arrived at 02:17 a.m. and he was transported to John Peter Smith Mortuary in Deling City, where this autopsy was performed.

Records obtained from Federal Medical Facility in Fort Worth indicate that Mr. Connelly [sic] had no clinical history of severe illnesses or injuries. 

98111 OT Sirius F. Connelly Page 3 of 9 

Signature John A. Matthews, M.D. 

Signature Andrew Potter, M.D. 

A CERTIFIED COPY ATTEST DECEMBER 31ST, 2003 ANDREW POTTER, M.D. CHIEF MEDICAL EXAMINER DELING COUNTY, GALBADIA BY [signature] KYNDRA HAILSTORM

                                                                                                                                                    *******

**GROSS ANATOMICAL DESCRIPTION **

Photo 1: Identification 

**I. CLOTHING AND PERSONAL EFFECTS:** The body is presented to the

Morgue secured in a body bag and clad in:

1. Navy blue pajama shirt (cut)

2. Navy blue pajama bottoms

3. Pair of white socks

                                                                                                                                                   *******

**Ill.**** EXTERNAL BODY DESCRIPTION:**

The body is that of a normally developed, well-nourished and well-hydrated, adult Caucasian male appearing somewhat younger than the given age of 52 years, with a body length is 70 inches and body weight is 170 pounds (175 cm, 85 kg). The body is well-preserved, unembalmed and cool post refrigeration. Rigor is fully developed. Lividity is developed, posterior, dependent, purple and slightly blanchable. 

The scalp is covered by short, straight gray and occasional brown hair with frontal, sagittal and slight occipital pattern baldness. The face is shaven. Body hair is male distribution and average. 

                                                                                                                                                    *******

**TOXICOLOGY TEST RESULTS:**

OFFICE OF CHIEF MEDICAL EXAMINER ANDREW POTTER, M.D., DABFP

TOXICOLOGY LABORATORY SERVICE CHIEF MEDICAL EXAMINER

4 PRIVET DRIVE                          SERENA STEINFIELD, PH.D., DABFT

DELING CITY, GALBADIA 76104          CHIEF TOXICOLOGIST

NAME: SIRIUS F. CONNELLY PRIORITY: 1

M.E. CASE NUMBER: 981110T M.E. TOX NUMBER: 980204T-00

BLOOD ETHANOL NEG

URINE ETHANOL NEG

URINE CANNABINOIDS ADX NEG

URINE COCAINE ADX NEG

URINE OPIATES ADX NEG

BLOOD CYANIDE NEG

URINE CYANIDE NEG

GASTRIC CYANIDE NEG

BLOOD ABN (HEART) POS FLUOXETINE 2.720 UG/ML

BLOOD ABN (FEMORAL) POS FLUOXETINE 0.778 UG/ML

URINE ABN POS FLUOXETINE 0.770 UG/ML

GASTRIC ABN POS FLUOXETINE 4.200 UG/ML

LIVER FLUOXETINE POS FLUOXETINE 61.410 UG/ML

BLOOD ABN (HEART) POS NORFLUOXETINE 1.960 UG/ML

BLOOD ABN (FEMORAL) POS NORFLUOXETINE 0.617 UG/ML

URINE ABN POS NORFLUOXETINE 2.280 UG/ML

GASTRIC ABN POS NORFLUOXETINE 1.070 UG/ML

LIVER NORFLUOXETINE POS NORFLUOXETINE 49.810 UG/ML

JACOB W. LEWIS

* * *

- _"Hmmm…" _hummed Rinoa _"Nothing unusual there…" _she said.

- _"Yes, but how could we tell if it's genuine?" _asked Quistis suspiciously.

- _"You think it's not?" _asked Rinoa.

- _"Well, according to Zell and Selphie's story, the supposed crime scene was probably bogus, so why not the autopsy as well?" _the blonde replied.

- _"It **does** say who performed the autopsy, right?" _asked the teenage sorceress.

- _"Yeah, Doctor,"_ said Quistis, searching the document _"Steinberg. Doctor Peter Steinberg."_

- _"Think we could have a talk with him?" _suggested Rinoa _"Y'know, see if he seems trustworthy or something…"_

- _"Not a bad idea… Not at all… Let's write his name down…" _said Quistis, reaching into her pocket.

            The blonde woman retrieved a small notebook and a pen from her pocket and noted down the doctor's name. 

- _"We'll have Zuka perform a search on him and find his residence. Then, we'll pay him a little visit…" _said Quistis, putting the notebook and pen back in place.

- _"Are we done then?" _asked Rinoa.

- _"I was hoping we could get a copy of the autopsy, but I don't see a Xerox machine anywhere…" _replied Quistis, looking around her.

- _"Copy it down on paper. That's the best we can do." _said Rinoa.

- _"I suppose you're right…" _said Quistis _"Gimme five minutes and we can go…" _

            Rinoa looked around curiously, Angelo following right behind her. She read through some files just out of curiosity, making sure she put them back in place after she did. After a couple of minutes Quistis had copied down all the information on the autopsy report and returned Connelly's file in its original position. The two girls made certain they'd left no signs of their presence in the office and got ready to leave. 

            They both wore their black masks turned off their torches and quietly walked to the door. Quistis extended her gloved palm towards the door handle, getting ready to open it. Out of the blue, she felt her head spin, staggered a bit and took an abrupt step forward, to keep her balance. Rinoa put a hand on her shoulder and looked at her in concern.

- _"Quistis, are you alright?" _she asked.

- _"I'm fine." _Quistis replied a bit too quickly _"Keep quiet now, we're going out…"_

            The Instructor slowly pulled the handle and opened the door. Stealthily, both women and Angelo moved outside and Quistis closed the door behind her. They speedily moved to the stairway, descending to the floor below, the bottom floor. Quistis, who was moving in front, came to a halt suddenly and motioned to Rinoa to backtrack. The two girls stuck their backs on the wall and Quistis moved her index finger to her lips. A guard patrolling the floor was passing by the stairway and they had almost been seen. Quistis and Rinoa held their breaths for a fair whole minute until it was safe again. Quistis slowly slid her back across the wall and barely poked her head out to get a clear view of the hallway. The guard was now out of sight and they could move freely. She beckoned Rinoa to follow her with her index finger and stepped down the few remaining stairs. The blonde gazed down at both directions of the hallway and broke into a quiet run towards the right. Rinoa and Angelo followed suit behind her and skidded down the hallway. 

            Suddenly, Rinoa accidentally stepped onto Angelo's tail, making him howl in pain. The sound of Angelo's wail echoed among the walls piercing the eerie silence of the corridor. Both girls stopped on their tracks and winced at the sound. Footsteps were heard from afar and within seconds the guard that had passed by them before came running to the far end of the hallway.

- _"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING HERE?!" _he shouted and sprinted towards them.

- _"Shit! Run!" _hissed Quistis and all three broke into a run.

            Many feet behind them, the man took out his transmitter, alerting every guard in the building. Quistis Rinoa and Angelo were already at the entrance when the first guards arrived down to the bottom floor. The blonde and the brunette ran towards the fence and began climbing up. Angelo crawled down to his hole and quickly slipped to the other side. About five men came barging out seconds later, while the girls were still on the top of the fence. Rinoa swiftly jumped down, but Quistis remained up, as if frozen in spot. She looked down to the ground and saw it spinning, twirling around like crazy. She held her forehead with one palm and wobbled unsteadily. The guards were now outside and were gradually gaining on her.

- _"What are you doing?!" _shouted Rinoa from below, while Angelo barked _"Jump!"_

            Quistis didn't stir. Rinoa bit her lip anxiously and tried to think quickly. 

- _"Angelo!" _she said eventually _"Go get them, boy!" _she ordered, pointing at the guards now feet away from the fence.

            Angelo barked and slipped back down the hole, passing on to the other side. He stood right in front of the fence and began barking menacingly at the men, baring his teeth. The guards stopped in their tracks, threatened by the dog.

- _"Come on!" _shouted Rinoa to Quistis _"Jump! You can make it!"_

            Quistis took one last look down to the ground.

- _"I… I…" _she mumbled.

            Her vision was beginning to grow hazy. It all seemed like a bad dream; Rinoa's shouts and pleads to her to jump down, Angelo's loud barks and the guards' voices, were all mixed in her head in a frenzy. She had to jump down, they had to escape… 

            A flash of Seifer's face rushed inside her head. They were in the cemetery in Centra together…

_            I feel like my life is finally piecing itself back in place… I'm getting 'reunited' with the people I love most…_

_                                                                                                                                    I have you…_

_                                                                        We have each other… _    

            Seifer… She needed to get back safe to help him… Rinoa… She had to get down so they could leave… The sounds were all beginning to sound more and more muffled and distorted. Blurry images of Angelo chasing the guards back to the building flashed before her eyes in slow motion. She had to move, she couldn't stay there…

                                                                                                _I have you…_

            Rinoa's shouts were becoming more and more intense, but all she could hear was an eerie silence, pumping in her mind. She read Rinoa's lips:

- _"JUMP!"_

                                                _We have each other…_

- _"Seifer… I… I can't…"_

            And then the world went black…     

                                                                                                                        *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

- _"How high was the fence?"_

- _"About ten feet."_

- _"Did she get hurt?"_

- _"I don't think so… I caught her…"_

- _"Were you hurt?"_

- _"I think I just twisted my ankle a bit. I'll be fine."_

- _"What happened to her?"_

- _"I don't know… She just… froze. She wouldn't move. She just wobbled around on top of the fence, not moving at all."_

- _"And then she fainted?"_

- _"She mumbled something before falling, but I couldn't hear her. Angelo was barking, I was shouting, the guards were yelling… Chaos."_

- _"Hey, I think she's coming around!"_

- _"Quistis? Quistis, can you hear me?"_

            A pair of fair eyelashes fluttered open slowly and Quistis' blues eyes slowly focused. Squall, Rinoa, Selphie, Irvine, Zell, Shizuka, Cid and Dr. Kadowaki were all standing above her. They were all looking down at her worriedly. She creased her forehead and tried to sit up on the bed, standing on her elbows. 

- _"Quistis, do you know where you are?" _Dr. Kadowaki's stern, but motherly voice came to her ears.

            The blonde looked around her. She was in her and Seifer's dorm and she was lying in their bed, dressed in her nightgown.

- _"I'm OK…" _she mumbled feebly, touching her pounding forehead.

            Sighs of relief came from all directions. Dr. Kadowaki grabbed her wrist and checked her pulse. She touched her forehead with one palm and then smiled.

- _"She's fine. No fever, steady pulse… Everything is alright." _she said.

- _"W-what happened?" _asked Quistis.

- _"You tell us. You fainted." _said Squall.

- _"Hyne, I was so scared Quisty…" _said Rinoa faintly.

            Quistis noticed she was still dressed in the black attire they'd worn during their investigation. 

- _"I'm OK… I just felt really dizzy up there…" _said the blonde.

- _"You're straining yourself!" _Selphie protested _"You shouldn't work so hard!"_

- _"I have to help Seifer-"_ began Quistis.

- _"You won't be of much help to him if you keep collapsing!" _Irvine scolded her.

- _"C'mon guys…" _Zell intervened _"Give her a break… She just recovered…"_

- _"I agree with Zell, but," _piped in Cid _"They're right. You're working to the edge Quistis. You should rest more often."_

- _"OK, I-" _Quistis tried to speak, but was interrupted again.

- _"I don't think you should do any field work for at least a couple of days." _said Squall.

- _"What?!" _protested Quistis, jumping up from bed _"You have no right to-"_

- _"Quistis, we're all saying this for your own good…" _said Zuka.

- _"If you try to restrain me, I swear to Hyne I'll work twice as hard!" _Quistis said stubbornly, crossing her arms in her chest.

- _"We called Seifer-" _began Cid.

- _"You **told** him about this?!" _yelled Quistis.

- _"Actually he called you himself and asked why you weren't answering, so we told him." _said Zell.

- _"He's got enough to worry about right now!" _shouted Quistis _"You shouldn't load him with even more!"_

- _"We calmed him down," _said Irvine_ "And he agrees that you should rest for a couple of days. If you don't believe us, call him yourself and he'll tell you."_

- _"Fine…" _mumbled Quistis, falling with her back on the wall behind the bed _"I'll stay here and rest, but **only** for two days!" _

- _"Glad to hear you agreed…" _said Dr. Kadowaki _"Now, everyone return to your dorms. I need to examine her a bit more and then let her sleep."_

            All of them followed the doctor's orders and slowly left the room, leaving the two women alone. The doctor walked over to Quistis' double bed and sat right next to her. Quistis made an attempt to take off her nightgown, for Dr. Kadowaki to examine her, but the latter placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, stopping her.

- _"That won't be necessary, Quistis…" _she said gently.

- _"Oh… Are you going to examine me with my clothes on?" _Quistis asked, confused.

- _"Actually, I'm not going to examine you. I sent everyone away so we could have a little talk alone…" _said the older woman, looking at the blonde meaningfully. Quistis was now even more bewildered.

- _"Alright," _she said, sitting up on the bed, resting her palms on her lap _"What about?"_

- _"You, just like every student in Garden, have been my patient ever since you set foot in here." _began the doctor _"Hyne has gifted me with an incredibly good memory, allowing me to remember each and every injury or sickness any student has **ever** had." _Quistis nodded, unsure to where the doctor was taking this _"As a result, I'm well aware that you've never had a problem with anemia, or anything else in your blood that could be giving you fainting tensions."_

            The blonde Instructor bit her lip. She had caught on to what the doctor was trying to say…

- _"The quick examination I ran over you, showed nothing wrong." _continued Dr. Kadowaki _"So I'd like to ask you: Is there anything you wish to tell me?"_

- _"L-l-like what, doctor?" _Quistis stuttered.

- _"Like… when was the last time you got your period." _the doctor said meaningfully.

- _"Umm…" _began Quistis, biting her lip again _"I always got it during the last week of the month. That's when I didn't take my pills…"_

- _"Buuut…?" _

- _"But… I didn't get it at all the previous month…" _said Quistis sighing.

- _"Why didn't you come to see me?" _the doctor almost scolded her.

- _"I was intending to, some time after New year's, when I was a week late, but then the whole deal with Seifer came up and I just…" _said Quistis, at the verge of tears _"I… I didn't think of anything else…"_

- _"Did you take a pregnancy test all this time?" _

- _"No… Like I said… I kept my mind busy with helping Seifer…" _replied the blonde, now wiping away a few tears from her eyes _"I don't get it… I **always** took my pills… I **know** I did, because I always emptied the box. I've **never** forgotten to take one…" _Quistis said exasperated.

- _"Although contraceptives are the best means of protection against pregnancy, they're not 100% effective." _said Dr. Kadowaki matter-of-factly _"There a very slight possibility of getting pregnant even when you're using them, only about 0.5-1%, but it's still a possibility…"_

- _"Great… I just **had** to fall into the exception, didn't I?" _Quistis said resentfully, hugging her knees.

- _"Well it's still not confirmed, although it's almost certain that this is the cause of your dizziness… It's not the first time it happened, right?" _

- _"No…"_

- _"Any… 'morning sickness'?"_

- _"Yes…" _Quistis said sniffing, burying her head into her folded arms.

            The doctor could easily tell she was silently crying, even though her face was hidden. Sighing, she moved closer to her and placed her hands gingerly on the young girl's shoulders.

- _"Quistis, listen to me… You can always consider having an abortion, it's **your** body, but think about it…" _Quistis slowly raised her head and looked at the other woman _"This child could be a **great** thing in your and Seifer's life… It will be a part of both of you and it will represent the love you share with him." _Quistis narrowed her eyes at the doctor _"And don't tell me you don't love him, because it's written all over you both!" _ said Dr. Kadowaki exasperated.

- _"Of course I love him… That's not the problem…" _Quistis said, wiping her eyes with the outer part of her palm _"First of all, we're both too young and immature to have a baby. **I** might want it, but I'm quite certain Seifer's not ready for something like this…"_

- _"Quistis, you'll never know if you don't ask h-"_

- _"The **real** problem," _Quistis interrupted her _"Is the **timing**. This couldn't have happened at a worse moment. Seifer is out on the run, **struggling** to prove his innocence and stay out of prison for **life**. The last thing he needs to hear is that I'm pregnant." _ 

            Dr. Kadowaki sighed. Quistis was right; even if the couple had wanted to have a child, the timing was indeed awful. The doctor slid her hand in her pocket and retrieved a small box, resting it on Quistis' nightstand. Quistis glanced at it; a home pregnancy test. 

- _"Take this some time tonight and come see me tomorrow." _said Dr. Kadowaki _"When you talk to Seifer about it and you make your decision, we'll talk again, alright?"_

- _"I'm not telling Seifer." _Quistis said firmly, shaking her head.__

- _"Don't you think he has the right to know?"_

- _"Maybe, but it'll just be another burden for him that I'm not willing to put him through."_

- _"It's not my place to interfere," _said the older woman sighing _"But I still believe you should tell him. Anyway, you'll be the judge of that. I'll see you tomorrow then. Unless you'd like me to stay when you take the test."_

- _"No. I'd rather be alone…"_ replied Quistis.__

- _"Your call." _said the doctor, getting up from the bed _"Goodnight Quistis."_

- _"Goodnight…" _the blonde mumbled feebly, as she heard the door close behind Dr. Kadowaki.__

            She looked at the rectangular box resting on her nightstand again. She picked it up and reluctantly got off bed…

                                                                                                                        *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

- _"So we run out of the building and head for the fence. We climb upon it quickly and I'd already made it to the ground, when I noticed Quistis wasn't budging."_

Rinoa and the rest were all sitting in Zell and Shizuka's room, talking. Selphie was sitting on Irvine's lap on the bed, right next to Zell, while Rinoa, Squall and Shizuka were sitting around the small table inside the dorm, Rinoa slowly sipping a mug of coffee. She still hadn't changed clothes, as everyone wanted to know what had happened during their mission to Deling.

- _"I started yelling at her to come down, but she had just frozen up there." _the raven-haired girl continued _"The guards were gaining on her, so I sent Angelo back again to stall them. I kept calling her to come down for ages, when she just fainted and of course lost balance. Thankfully, I caught her in my arms so that she wouldn't get hurt, but I fell down from the weight and twisted my ankle a bit. I began running as fast as I could towards the car and when I was close enough, I called Angelo. I put Quistis inside the car, Angelo ran is as well and I drove off immediately. I drove to the station and took the next train here. Quistis was 'out' almost all the way to Balamb, although she woke up at some point for seconds. I put her back to sleep because she was obviously exhausted and called Squall to come pick us up when we got back here. And that's about it."_

            Rinoa finished her narration, taking a big sip of coffee, rubbing her temples.

- _"Damn… You were lucky to get out of there alive…" _commented Irvine.

- _"Yeah… If it wasn't for Angelo, we'd surely have gotten caught…" _agreed Rinoa, shooting a sideways glance to Squall.

- _"What?! It's not like I've ever **forbidden** you to take him along…" _protested the young Commander.

- _"Yes, I believe your exact words were 'Why do you keep dragging that dog along wherever you go? It'll only cause trouble'…" _Rinoa said sarcastically.

- _"Well he **did** bark and alerted the guards, didn't he?" _Squall asked smirking, folding his arms.

- _"Maybe, but he also saved us!" _Rinoa retorted.

- _"Whatever…" _mumbled Squall, shrugging.

- _"Speaking of which… Where **is** Angelo?" _asked Zell.

- _"I took him back to our dorm when we got here." _replied Rinoa.

- _"Anyway, wanna hear what we came up with?" _Shizuka asked everyone, changing the subject.

- _"Sure, go ahead." _said Selphie intrigued. 

- _"It's not much, but here goes…" _said the brunette, going through some notes in front of her _"Quistis asked me to do a little research on Faris Chang."_

- _"Y'know…" _piped in Zell _"That guy Robinson's old girlfriend…"_

- _"Quistis and Seifer found a connection of her with a certain group…" _said Zuka meaningfully _"Although it's not necessarily suspicious."_

- _"Anything protected by an Internet virus obviously wants to remain hidden. If that's not suspicious, then what is?"_ said Squall.

- _"I know, but we can't prove that, can we?" _replied Shizuka.

- _"What group?" _asked Irvine.

- _"It was called… 'Aidra', I think." _replied Zell.

- _"Yes, that's right. 'Aidra'. I tried to do some research on it, but stayed away from the official site. All the articles said that it involved environmental issues. All of them were activists." _said Zuka.

- _"So nothing that could have connected her to anything illegal of some sort?" _asked Selphie.

- _"Nope, nothing." _replied Shizuka.

- _"Although it **could** be a cover-up for something else, for all we know…" _said Zell shrugging.

- _"What did you get on the group?" _asked Rinoa.

- _"Not much. At least nothing wary enough…" _said Zell.

- _"Nothing?" _asked Squall.

- _"Well…" _said Shizuka, biting her pen _"There **is** something that bugged me, but it's not at all suspicious. Just… a bit weird."_

- _"What?"_ asked Irvine.

- _"All the members were women." _replied the brunette.

- _"So?" _asked Selphie.

- _"It didn't say anywhere on the name of the group that it involved women only." _said Zuka _"And all the articles made it clear that it didn't have anything to do with feminist issues."_

- _"Maybe the name of the group stood for something." _suggested Rinoa.

- _"It wasn't in capitals and there were no periods among the letters." _said Zuka.

- _"I don't see how that could lead to anything…" _Zell said puzzled.

- _"I know, I just thought I'd mention it." _said Shizuka shrugging _"It's probably nothing…"_

                                                                                                                        *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

****

            Quistis was standing with her back against the vanity of her bathroom pacing back and forth the floor from time to time. She was shooting glances at a small cup on the counter, while checking her watch every few seconds. 

- _"Four minutes are up…" _she said quietly.

            She approached the cup and with two trembling fingers, she slid a small white bar out of it. She brought it close to her and shaking, she looked at the three small boxes in front. They all had a thin blue line on them. Her eyes opened up wide. She gasped and held a hand in front of her mouth. She bit her lip and touched her stomach with one palm. A tear came trickling down her face. It was time to decide whether that tear would be one of joy or desperation…

* * *

**A/N:** YES, she **is** pregnant OK? Happy now? She has been ever since Chapter 1, but I didn't want you to know right away. However, many of you realized it from the first 'hint'. Kudos to you then ^_~

BTW, I always thought that it was supposed to get pink when you're pregnant, but I read some fics in which they said it turns blue. Aaaanyway…

The Autopsy report is a merging of two actual reports. I wanted it to seem as realistic as possible, so I researched it a bit ^_^ The only thing I can't understand even in the tiniest bit, is the toxicology report. Don't ask what's goin' on there, I'm not even sure if it would look like that in such I case. I just put that in to make it look more professional :-p

_ON THE NEXT CHAPTER OF 'THE BEGINNING, IS THE END, IS THE BEGINNING':_

_Back in Centra, Seifer and Edea talk and come across something very interesting._


	12. Chapter 10: A shadow from the 'Book of S...

**A/N:** My sincere apologies for the belated update and the small (compared to all the others) chapter. Please note that updates on this story will be less frequent from now on, but they won't take as long as this one did, mmmkay? 

But there's a nice cliff-hanger there ^_^ Not my best, as my beta was kind enough to inform me *glares at Chris* but good enough.

This chapter takes place the exact same day as the one before, only it's back in Centra, between Seifer and Edea.

**_Last chapter summary:_**_ Quis leaves Centra in a hurry and goes on a mission with Rinoa. They almost get caught and Quistis falls unconscious all of a sudden… Later on, she discovers that was she dreaded from weeks now, has come true… She's pregnant…_

* * *

* * *

**_                                                                                    ~*The Beginning, is the End, is the Beginning*~_**

                                                                                                      A sequel to _'Love Conquers All'_

                                                                                                         By: Sickness in Salvation

**                                                                                      Chapter 10: A shadow from the 'Book of Shadows'**

* * *

* * *

_                                                                                                                                 The same day, back in Centra…_

            Seifer stirred in bed. He let out a sleepy groan and swung his arm to the other side of the bed. Instead of it coiling around Quistis' shoulders however, his palm fell on something which let out a wrinkling sound. Seifer raised his head from the pillow and only half-opened his eyes. He looked down next to him and found a piece of paper pressed underneath his palm. Puzzled, he grabbed it. Yawning and rubbing the back of his hair, he read the note.

_            Seifer,_

_            I'm sorry to leave like this, but Squall said that I had to return to Garden for a while_

_            and go for some field work with Rinoa._

_            I don't think I'll stay for more than two days there. Either way, I'll be back as soon as_

_            possible._

_            Love you,_

_            Quistis._ __

- _"Dammit…"_ Seifer cursed under his breath.

            The blond rubbed his eyes open and flung the covers off him. He grabbed the pair of black sweatpants and grey T-shirt he wore in bed, which were hanging on a chair near-by. He swiftly got dressed and headed for the kitchen to find Matron. Once there, he found no-one, but noticed a half-empty cup of tea and a plate filled with crumbs on the table. Seifer walked over to the back door and swung it open. He winced as his bare feet made contact with the freezing tiles of the porch outside. He found Matron there, watering the pots of her plants.

- _"Morning sunshine." _Edea said smiling.

- _"Morning. Need any help?" _Seifer offered.

- _"No, I'm almost done Seifer. You go ahead and have some breakfast and I'll be there in a couple of minutes." _she replied.

- _"K."_

                                                                                                                        *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Edea walked back inside after about five minutes, clutching her long black coat tightly around her body. Her cheeks and nose were flushed from the cold.

- _"Hyne it's cold outside!" _she exclaimed, taking off her coat and scarf.

- _"I bet… Wanna join me for a cup of coffee?" _Seifer asked, finishing up his bowl of cereal.

- _"Sure." _

- _"I'll get it ready," _Seifer said, getting up _"You have a seat."_

- _"Alright…" _replied Edea, sitting down and rubbing her hands in warmth.

- _"Any cream or sugar?" _Seifer asked, opening the cupboard before him, taking out two mugs.

- _"Both. But only one spoonful of sugar."_

            Seifer nodded and poured the hot liquid that Edea had already made earlier into two mugs. After adding some cream and sugar in Edea's mug and just a tiny bit of sugar in his, he brought them over to the table, sitting across her.

- _"Thank you." _said the older woman, cupping the mug with her slender fingers, taking a sip.

- _"Is it good?" _asked Seifer, drinking a bit of his.

- _"Just fine." _Edea replied, smiling _"So. How are you today?" _she asked one of the young men she considered a son gingerly.

- _"I'm good…" _replied Seifer stretching _"Slept well… But Quistis should have woken me up before leaving…" _he said, somewhat glumly. 

- _"I know; she didn't feel good about it either, but she had to go and didn't want to disturb your sleep."_ said the Matron _"I don't know if anyone has ever told you, but you look absolutely adorable in your sleep."_ she added, smiling warmly.

- _"As I do most of the time anyway…" _he replied jokingly, smirking, although Edea noticed a faint blush appearing on his cheeks. 

            They both chuckled lightly, sipping some more coffee. Seifer felt the warm beverage soothing his tenseness and rubbed his temples.

- _"Everything alright?" _asked Edea.

- _"Yeah." _replied Seifer casually, shrugging _"It's just that…"_

- _"Just that what?" _

- _"I dunno…" _began Seifer, rubbing the back of his hair _"I don't really feel well that everyone is working to help me, especially Quistis, and all I'm doing is sitting here, hiding like a coward…"_ he finished, looking down at the table.

- _"Seifer, listen to me," _Edea said, touching his hand. Seifer looked up at her _"They're your friends and help you because you mean something to them. And you're not a 'coward' as you say, for staying here until things clear out."_

- _"C'mon Matron… Who am I kidding?" _he said _"They're not my friends. And they have every right **not** to be. It's not like I've been the epitome of kindness around them. They're just doing all this because I'm with Quistis…"_

- _"Do you really believe that?"_

- _"Don't **you**?" _Seifer asked her.

- _"I would have, if we were having this conversation months ago, when you were just getting back to Garden." _she replied honestly.

- _"And what has changed ever since then?" _he asked.

- _"You have earned their trust and respect." _answered Edea _"And even though you might not be the best of friends yet, you're in a very good path…" _she finished. Seifer shrugged _"And it wouldn't hurt to be a bit nicer from time to time, either…" _she added smiling, raking her hand through his front locks. Seifer chuckled.

- _"You know __me.__"_ he said.

- _"That's right, I do. And just because I do, I'd like to see you show more of your good side to them." _the Matron said _"The side you show Quistis everyday." _Seifer gave her a grin _"How are things going on between you two anyway?"_

- _"If it weren't for this whole shitty situation, I would have said 'great'." _the blond replied.

- _"Language…" _Edea scolded.

- _"Sorry Matron…"_

- _"Are you happy?" _she asked.

- _"Yes." _replied Seifer looking at her _"Very."_

The ex-Sorceress smiled and rubbed Seifer's knuckles with her thump. Seifer placed his other hand on top of her as well and smiled weakly.

- _"How did the research go yesterday?"_ Edea asked.

- _"Well… We didn't come across anything unexpected." _replied Seifer _"Just Deling and his right-hand man, Robinson, involved in fascistic groups when younger. But that's not anything surprising. We **did** however, think we'd found a lead on someone else, but we were 'cut off'…"_

- _"'Cut off'?" _

- _"Some internet virus, conveniently covering whatever it was we stumbled upon…"_

- _"Who were you researching on at the time?" _asked Edea, intrigued.__

- _"Some woman named Faris Chang. She used to be Robinson's girlfriend when they were younger, and they're probably back together now or something…" _replied Seifer shrugging.__

- _"I see… What were you looking for?" _

- _"Just some background info on her. The thing is, that we didn't even think what we'd found was important, but since it was being covered up, there must be something hiding behind it…" _

- _"And what was it you found?" _asked Edea.__

- _"Some connection of her with a group called 'Aidra'." _Seifer answered _"Just when we were about to find out what it was though…"_

- _"Aidra?" _asked Edea, creasing her forehead _"How do you spell that?"_

- _"A-I-D-R-A"_

- _"Hmm… Why does that sound vaguely familiar?" _she mumbled.__

- _"You've heard about it before?"_ asked Seifer, arching both eyebrows.__

- _"I think I have… Just can't remember where…" _replied Edea, falling into deep thought_ "I might be mistaken though. It just sounds… familiar…"_

                                                                                                                        *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Seifer was lying onto one of the couches of the Common Room. He was looking up at the ceiling of the room, taking in long drags of the cigarette he rested from time to time on an ashtray on the floor. Edea was sitting on the couch across him, engrossed into a book, although she seemed ready to fall asleep any moment now. It wasn't even late; hardly 7:00 p.m., but she'd had a long day doing chores around the orphanage with Seifer. The blond would have been sleepy as well, but his mind was way too pre-occupied to let him be at peace.

            No matter how glad and flattered he was that Quistis was willingly helping him out of this, he hated being alone right now. He couldn't bare the fact that she was out there, struggling for him and he was sitting comfortably on a couch, just waiting for some good news. When she was there with him it was different; he had her comforting presence on his side and could be of some use in addition. Now that he could do no research and she had gone, he felt horribly useless and alone. Edea's company was of course more than he should be asking, but Quistis was a totally different case. 

            The Matron had asked him early that morning how things were going on between them lately. Seifer couldn't honestly recall a moment in his life when he'd felt happier just being in the same room with another person, much less actually **being** with that person. Although he'd never dare believe it if someone had told him a few years earlier that a mere glance at her every morning, by his side, would instantly make his day, he would have laughed whole-heartedly. However, he was more than glad to be proven wrong. If only he wasn't facing charges of murder for the second time in his life, he'd be able to say freely that he needed nothing more from life at this point.

            Sighing deeply, he exhaled one last cloud of grey smoke, before extinguishing his cigarette on the ashtray. He wrapped his arms behind his head and turned over to look at Edea. She'd already fallen asleep; the book had fallen from her hands onto her lap and her head was tilting against the cushion of the sofa. Seifer got up and walked over to her, covering her exposed chest and shoulders with the blanket which had reached down to her waist. He caressed her forehead and picked up the ashtray from the floor, walking back to his room. Once there, he rested the ashtray on the nightstand next to his bed and plopped on it, slipping his hand in his front pocket to retrieve his cell-phone. 

            He pressed the first number on his speed-dial and waited. And waited… And waited… No answer. Creasing his forehead, he terminated the call. Where could she be? She could be sleeping, but she always heard her mobile when it rang. Then, he recalled something she had told him on her note, about going on field work with Rinoa. She could be busy right now, although it would be quite late in Balamb right now. Puzzled he dialed Squall's number and waited for a response.

- _"Yes?" _came Squall's cold voice on the other end of the line.

- _"Hey Leonhart." _Seifer said _"Is Quistis around?"_

- _"Uhh… Why do you ask?" _Squall asked. Seifer got the feeling something wasn't right.__

- _"'Cause I called her and she wouldn't answer. Is she out on field work or something?" _Seifer asked again.__

- _"Err… *Sigh* Yeah, yeah, alright, I will…" _Squall spoke.__

- _"Who are you talking to?" _Seifer asked.__

- _"N-no-one… *Sigh* Listen, promise that you'll remain calm?" _

- _"What are you going on about? Is something wrong?" _Seifer asked, sitting up on the bed.__

- _"Just promise you'll be calm." _Squall repeated.__

- _"Leonhart… What the hell happened?" _Seifer asked, his voice sounding threatening _"Is Quistis alright?" _No answer _"Is she?!"_

- _"Yes… She **will** be-"_

- _"Whoa, whoa… **Will** be? What the fuck happened?!" _Seifer asked worriedly.__

- _"She was on a field mission with Rinoa and something happened. She just fainted, that's-"_ Squall began.__

- _"What do you mean 'just fainted'?!" _Seifer yelled _"What's wrong with her?!"_

- _"I told you! **Nothing**. She probably just worked a bit too hard. There's nothing to be worried about, honest…" _Squall replied.__

- _"Where is she now?" _Seifer asked, rubbing his forehead in comfort.__

- _"Dr. Kadowaki just examined her. She's in your room, she's fine."_

- _"Lemme speak to her." _Seifer said, sighing.__

- _"She's sleeping right now. Let her rest. I'll tell her you called. You can call back tomorrow and check on her."_ Squall suggested.__

- _"I swear Leonhart, if something's wrong with her and you're not tell-"_

- _"I'm **not**. Listen, I understand how worried you must be, but I'm telling you the truth. She's just sleeping." _Squall insisted.__

- _"Alright, OK… I believe you…" _said Seifer _"Just… make sure she'll be OK… And tell her not to work so hard. Get some rest for a while…"_

- _"I will. I talked to Cid and he agrees we should relieve her of any duties for a couple of days." _Squall informed him.__

- _"Good, good. You do that. Tell her I'll call back tomorrow, OK?" _

- _"K."_

            Seifer terminated the call and shoved the phone on the nightstand. Great… **Juuust** great… Now he'd gotten Quistis into more trouble…

                                                                                                                        *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

****

****

            With trembling fingers, Faris poured the remaining of the whisky bottle into the short glass encased in her palm. She threw then now empty bottle into the trash next to her, letting it fall with a loud thud. Closing her eyes, she brought the glass in front of her lips, touching her throbbing forehead with her free palm **_'Hyne, it keeps getting worse every day… What have I done?' _**she thought, finishing the contents of her glass in one gulp. She let the glass fall down to the carpeted floor. It didn't break; just bounced lightly and rolled away. She fell onto the sofa, covering her face with both palms. A firm knock on the door made her head turn. Without waiting for an answer, the door opened and a man's tall frame stepped inside.

- _"Another headache dear?" _he asked sarcastically.

- _"Go to hell Kuja…" _she swore, turning her gaze away from him.__

- _"Only if you join me doll…" _replied Kuja, smirking _"The President wanted to speak to you. Mr. Robinson is there, too."_

- _"And why the fuck should I care?" _the woman mumbled in her drunken slur.__

****

****

Kuja grinned and walked over to her, grabbing her wrist and yanking her upwards.

- _"You'll do as you're told Faris." _he said sternly _"Don't back out on us **now**, lassie." _he added, running a hand through her locks.__

- _"I thought I specifically told you to stop calling me that." _Faris snapped, slapping his hand away.__

- _"And I thought I specifically told you I don't give a shit. Now get going… lassie."_

            Faris shoved Kuja away and stumbled her way out of the room and down the corridor of the Presidential Mansion. She arrived outside of Deling's office and barged inside without knocking. Deling and Robinson turned around abruptly, breaking their attention from a certain document upon Deling's office.

- _"I'm here. What do ya want?" _she asked the two bemused men.

- _"Umm… Genni, could you excuse us?"_ Deling asked his secretary, who was just picking up two empty tea cup on a tray.

- _"Certainly Mr. Deling…" _she mumbled awkwardly.

            The young girl quickly made her way out of the room, shooting a sideways glance at Faris before exiting the room.

- _"So. Are you gonna tell me what you wanted?" _Faris asked again.

- _"Nothing important Faris, just some routine work." _replied Robinson _"You OK?"_

- _"I'm fine…" _she replied, staggering over to the desk the two men were standing over.

- _"You drunk?" _asked Robinson again.

- _"Why do you care?" _Faris snapped at him.

- _"Sheesh, just asking…" _said Robinson, shaking his head in disbelief.

- _"Whatever Anton, let's just get on with it…" _mumbled Faris.

                                                                                                                        *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

****  __

_                                                                                                                                       The following morning…_

            Irvine walked towards the Front Gate of Balamb Garden, holding a suitcase in one hand, and Selphie's hand in the other. His miniscule girlfriend walked him over to the SeeD car waiting for him outside the Academy. She gave him a deep kiss and wished him a good trip. He was going over to Deling City, to visit the man who did the autopsy on Sirius Connelly. After returning from their mission, Rinoa and Quistis had given Shizuka the doctor's name, to retrieve his address in the city. 

            The tall cowboy made himself comfortable in the back seat of the car, resting his suitcase next to him. The driver had already taken off, taking him to Balamb Train Station. Irvine was staring at the plains of Balamb outside. The snow had already melted from the Christmas and New Year's season… He sighed and looked at the front. The driver looked awfully… familiar… He could only see his back but still… Didn't he… know that back from somewhere?

            Irvine squinted his eyes and looked at him more closely. Underneath his black suit, his thin and narrow shoulders were visible. Irvine noticed that they seemed a bit **too** narrow for a man… There was something else that bugged him though. The man's hat seemed to cover all the back of his head, leaving only his neck uncovered. And what a thin, smooth-looking and tall neck hat was. The young SeeD shook himself mentally and then noticed a few blond hairs protruding from the hat. A few **long**, strawberry long hair… **_'What the…?' _**Irvine thought. 

- _"Nice day, ain't it?" _Irvine asked, wanting to hear the man's voice.

- _"Indeed." _the driver replied and turned around for a second.

            Irvine's eyes widened. One of the driver's azure eyes winked and him and he… or rather **she **giggled, turning back around.

- _"QUISTIS?!!" _Irvine yelled.

- _"Morning __Irvine__…" _the blonde replied, smiling broadly.

- _"What the **heck** are you doin' here?!" _he whimpered.

- _"Driving us to the Station of course…" _she replied nonchalantly.

- _"**US**?!"_

- _"Yes __Irvine__, **us**. I'm coming too."_

- _"You should be in your damned **bed**! Getting some damned **rest**!" _Irvine protested.

            Quistis sighed and pulled over, stopping by the side of the road. She turned around and faced Irvine.

- _"I'll just ask you something and then if you're still insisting, I'll get back to Garden. I promise. Just be honest."_ she said, taking off the hat, releasing her hair.

- _"Alright." _Irvine said, frowning.

- _"If Selphie was in really big trouble and everyone told **you** to stay inside, instead of doing everything you could to help her, what would you do?" _she asked.

            Irvine looked at her eyes. He tried to say something, but immediately bit his tongue and remained silent.

- _"Just… drive off… We'll miss our train…" _he mumbled.

Quistis' face lightened up and she lunged forward, giving Irvine a hug and a kiss on the cheek. 

- _"Yeah, yeah…" _Irvine said groaning, patting her on the back _"Just get the car up and runnin' again, you hopelessly lovesick person…" _

            Quistis smiled and sat back on the driver's seat, turning the engine on again.

                                                                                                                        *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Seifer was lying underneath the covers in his bed. He'd just fallen into sweet slumber, when a pair of hands grabbed his shoulders and began shaking him.

- _"Seifer! Seifer, wake up! I found it!" _Edea yelled.

- _"Wha-?" _Seifer mumbled, still sleepy.

- _"I found it!" _Edea repeated, still yanking him from side to side.

- _"Found what?"_ he asked, sitting up on the bed.

- _"Where I know 'Aidra' from!"_ she exclaimed, sitting down on his bedside.

- _"OK, where?" _asked Seifer, rubbing the back of his hair, yawning.

- _"Ever heard of the 'Book of Shadows'?" _Edea asked.

- _"Err… no." _Seifer replied.

- _"It's a book on Sorcery." _the Matron said.

- _"OK…" _Seifer said nodding, not seeing where Edea was taking this.

- _"And I presume you've never heard of 'Ardia'…"_ said the Matron.

- _"Nope. But what does this-"_ began Seifer.

- _"Ardia,__ or Gospel of the Witches,__ is __one of the first prototypical book of shadows ever published." _said Edea eagerly.

- _"Aaaand…?" _Seifer asked.

- _"Think Seifer!"_ Edea hissed _"Doesn't the name 'Ardia' seem familiar?!"_

- _"Err… should it?" _asked Seifer, puzzled.

- _"THINK!" _Edea hissed again, grabbing his head in both hands.

- _"I can't dammit! I'm still too fucking asleep!" _Seifer snapped.

- _"Lang-"_

- _"Matron…" _Seifer said wearily.

- _"OK, OK… Just put two and two together… **Aidra** and **Ardia**…" _she said meaningfully.

            Seifer creased his forehead and fell deep in thought. Suddenly his eyes shot open.

- _"'Aidra' is an anagram of 'Ardia'!" _he yelled.

- _"Finally…" _Edea said, smiling.__

- _"B-but… what does that mean?! Is Faris a… sorceress?!" _he asked eagerly.__

- _"Not quite." _replied Edea _"But close."_

- _"Then what?! TELL ME?!" _he shouted, grabbing her from the arms.__

- _"Faris can't be a sorceress. I'd know her for **certain**."_ replied Edea, pulling Seifer's hands down _"But once looking at her picture in the paper, I knew instantly who her mother was."_

- _"Who?" _

- _"You wouldn't know her. Her name was Amelia. **She** was a sorceress. And from what I knew, she was into a 'secret society' for other sorceresses. Probably what 'Aidra' is all about." _explained Edea.__

- _"So why is Faris in it now?" _asked Seifer.__

- _"I'm not certain, but my guess is this: She must have **some** powers. But she can't be a full sorceress, because as I've said, I'd know it."_ replied Edea _"When a Sorceress has offspring it's certain that they will inherit **some**, if not all her powers. That's the reason Cid and I never had children; we didn't want them to have to share my fate. So Faris probably has some limited powers. That's all I can think of…"_

- _"I see… So then-"_ began Seifer, but never finished his sentence.__

             A rumbling noise, coming from outside, cut him off. Edea got up immediately and looked outside the window. What little color was always on her face, abandoned it completely.

- _"Oh, no…" _she said faintly.

- _"What is it?" _asked Seifer.

- _"Galbadian soldiers."_

* * *

**A/N:** Let the revelations begin…

_ON THE NEXT CHAPTER OF 'THE BEGINNING, IS THE END, IS THE BEGINNING':_

_Seifer faces the first great threat after having to escape from B-Garden the day of his interrogations._

_Galbadians ambush the orphanage._

_Will our hero manage to slip out of this one as well?_


End file.
